Newly released surveillance footage has shed light on the final hours of Elizabeth Caruso, a New Jersey woman whose body was found in a dumpster behind a Miami Beach apartment building on July 19. Police allege she was killed by her son, 40-year-old Anthony Caruso.
According to investigators, Elizabeth had flown to Miami from New Jersey that morning to check on her son’s well-being after growing concerned about his behavior. Video obtained by Local 10 News shows her entering the lobby of a hotel located across the street from the Blackstone Apartments at 800 Washington Avenue, where Anthony lived.
Footage from around 7:05 p.m. that same evening shows Anthony Caruso standing in the hallway of his apartment building, waiting for an elevator. Just over two hours later, another camera in the building’s trash room captured a man, believed to be Anthony, leaning over a garbage chute with visible blood on the floor and walls.
Police said the man was seen using his cellphone, apparently attempting to call for help. Family members, who had not heard from Elizabeth for more than six hours, alerted authorities.
Officers arrived at the apartment around 9:48 p.m. and immediately noticed blood on the door and hallway floor. When detectives searched the building, they found Elizabeth’s body in a dumpster on the first floor. Investigators later revealed that her neck had been severely injured, nearly to the point of decapitation.
Authorities said Anthony barricaded himself inside his apartment for about eight hours before surrendering to police. The scene was sealed off as investigators collected evidence, including clothing and a towel retrieved from a nearby tree by firefighters.
“She flew in from out of state to check on her son, who we believe to suffer from mental illness,” Miami Beach Police Officer Christopher Bess said at the time. The discovery sent shockwaves through the quiet residential neighborhood, where residents watched in disbelief as police lifted the dumpster onto a tow truck covered with a yellow sheet.
Jail records show Anthony Caruso faces a charge of second-degree murder and is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He was reportedly on probation at the time of his mother’s death and has a lengthy criminal history.
Court documents indicate prior arrests for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery, arson, and criminal mischief. Investigators continue to review evidence and surveillance footage as the community mourns a mother who traveled hundreds of miles to help her troubled son, only to meet a tragic end. He is expected in Miami-Dade County court for a hearing on Nov. 20.