Mom pleads not guilty in death of disabled daughter

• Victim was a 32-year-old disabled woman
• Mother continued to receive daughter%27s disability and Social Security checks
• Mother is charged with aggravated manslaughter and neglect of a disabled adult

TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- They came to give voice to the woman they called Becky, a child-like woman who loved dancing in her wheelchair to the Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block.

"She was a happy girl," said Ele Hayes, 63, of Manchester, N.J. "She didn't deserve this. She could have had a long life."

Hayes was among about a half-dozen Manchester residents who traveled to court Monday on behalf of 32-year-old Rebecca Wilson, whose decomposing body was found May 30 by Manchester police inside her home, and whose mother pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from her death.

Rebecca's mother — Janet Wilson — is charged with aggravated manslaughter, desecrating human remains and neglect of a disabled adult in connection with Rebecca's death. She is being held at the Ocean County (N.J.) Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.

Rebecca Wilson was disabled and homebound, and dependent on her mother for care, said a spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

She had not been seen in the spring around the Fox Street home in the Pine Ridge at Crestwood section of Manchester, neighbors said. Her body was discovered by police after someone complained of a strange odor coming from the structure.

Authorities said that when police arrived inside the home, conditions were so bad that it led Manchester code enforcement officials to condemn the structure.

Police also found the remains of a decomposed dog in addition to Rebecca's body inside the home, authorities said.

"It's sickening," said Joe Cesaro of Manchester, who knew Rebecca by working as a DJ at parties that she attended. "It's something you can't believe happening to a human being."

Weeks after the grisly discovery, Janet Wilson, 53, was located along with her boyfriend and son at the Vagabond Motel in Reno by Ocean County detectives and Reno City Police. Wilson was arrested and held in Washoe County Jail in Reno, before waiving extradition and returning to New Jersey on July 4.

The night Rebecca's body was found, Hayes and neighbor Ethel Urkoff, 87, of the Pine Ridge community said they stayed at the Wilson home.

"We didn't want her (Rebecca) to feel she was alone or abandoned," Hayes said as she blinked back tears.

Janet Wilson never reported her daughter's death, and continued to receive Rebecca's disability and Social Security checks, according to the Prosecutor's Office. Weeks after police discovered Rebecca's body, a $600 transfer was allegedly made from Rebecca's bank account into her mother's.

Neighbors said when they saw Janet Wilson at events last spring and asked about Rebecca, the mother said Rebecca was fine. No one in the group who went to the court Monday said they suspected any neglect at the time.

Hayes said she hopes the community support for Rebecca Wilson will bring attention to the needs of disabled adults facing possible abuse and neglect.

Janet Wilson's formal bail hearing is scheduled for July 26.

Janet Wilson's son and her boyfriend declined to comment Monday, saying they did not want to jeopardize the trial. Attorney Dawn Nee, who represents Wilson, also declined to comment.