Slain elderly woman was former Stanislaus State professor

The daughter of an elderly woman who was found dead inside her Modesto home Tuesday morning was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of her murder.

Gisele Tadlock, 55, was booked on suspicion of murder and elder abuse after being located in the area of Oakdale Road and Orangeburg Avenue with information provided by a citizen, according to Modesto Police.

The victim, 84-year-old Gisela Dardon, died from blunt force trauma, authorities said Wednesday. A motive has not yet been determined.

Dardon was a professor of modern languages at Stanislaus State University from 1973 until her retirement in 1998, spokesman Brian VanderBeek confirmed Wednesday. She was born in Guatemala.

Detectives were looking for Tadlock following the discovery of Dardon’s body inside her home on Kee Lane in Village I.

Police were called there by Dardon’s caretaker after she arrived at the home but no one answered the door.

According to neighbors, Dardon has lived in the home for about six months and Tadlock either lived with her or would stay there on occasion.

Dardon’s next door neighbor, Angela Psuik, filed a restraining order against Tadlock last month after she said Tadlock became obsessed with her 17-year-old daughter.

Psuik said Tadlock believed the 17-year-old was her daughter. She said that on July 7 Tadlock broke into her home and was trying to get to the teen, who had to lock herself in the bathroom.

Since then, Psuik said Tadlock has gone into her backyard multiple times, including Tuesday morning.

Psuik said she called 911 around 8:30 a.m., but officers did not show up until 11. It was shortly after that that the second call to police came in for the security check on Tadlock’s mother.

A court date for Tadlock has not yet been scheduled.

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 10:28 AM.