Brevard County deputies said Maureen Riccio's remains were found in a wooded area in Micco about two weeks ago.
Authorities said Riccio's son, Francis Riccio, admitted to investigators that he killed her after an argument.
Investigators say Francis Riccio was living in a Melbourne house with his mother, girlfriend and several children when the slaying occurred.
Investigators believe that Francis Riccio had become frustrated over his mother’s mounting medical issues and was unable to find a facility to care for her. He was eventually located in New York, where he admitted that an argument led to the killing. Police said that Francis Riccio told them that he beat his mother, dismembered her body and then dumped the remains a few days later.
It took only two weeks for Brevard County detectives to put Riccio behind bars, after tracking him to Brooklyn.
According to investigators, Riccio killed and dismembered his own mother after an argument.
"There were some problems between the mother and son since she had come down and started living with them. I don't think they were prepared for how hard it was going to be to take care of somebody elderly," said Maj. Todd Goodyear of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.
The discovery of 70-year-old Maureen Riccio's body was by chance, investigators said.
Several trash bags containing her body parts were found in a ditch by a cellphone tower maintenance man.
"If this person hadn't stopped to relieve himself and just happened to be in that area and see what he first thought was an animal carcass, that body could have been there for an indefinite amount of time," said Goodyear.
Detectives said they identified Maureen Riccio and found out Francis Riccio had quickly vacated the home in Melbourne, telling the landlord there was a death in the family and he had to go back to New York.
"We worked with quite a few people on this case - and it's just one of those things where you put everybody together from law enforcement, you work together and good things happen," said Goodyear.
Now Riccio is facing first-degree murder charges and additional charges for dismembering his mother.
Investigators said his girlfriend may also face charges in connection with disposing of the body.