Rose Upthagrove

A Mississippi woman has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of an elderly woman who died days after being assaulted, according to the Laurel Police Department.

Rose Upthagrove, 38, of Laurel, was taken into custody Monday following an investigation by the department’s Criminal Investigation Division.

Police began investigating after meeting with Deputy Coroner Don Sumrall and members of the victim’s family, who raised concerns about what authorities called a “suspicious death.”

According to police, the elderly woman was admitted to South Central Regional Medical Center on May 29 following an assault. She died two days later, on May 31.

Hospital staff alerted the Jones County Coroner’s Office, which then shared information from its preliminary investigation with police. Investigators determined that Upthagrove, a family acquaintance of the victim, had assaulted her and caused the injuries that led to her hospitalization.