A Florida home health care assistant has been arrested in connection with the death of an 86-year-old male patient she was supposed to care for.
Beatrice Taylor, 25, is charged with aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person after the patient died on August 15 at his Winter Haven residence, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim’s family had hired a home healthcare firm to assist with his care due to congestive heart failure. Taylor was assigned to provide nighttime care at the victim’s home, where he resided with his wife.
Taylor’s duty began at 9 p.m. according to authorities, but shortly after, she allegedly fell asleep on the living room couch. This action was an obvious breach of her employment rules, which prohibited falling asleep while on duty.
Taylor allegedly awoke around 1 a.m. after hearing a “thump” coming from the patient’s bedroom. Upon checking, she found the elderly man on the floor, his head stuck between the nightstand and the bed. Taylor reported that when she tried to get the patient back into bed, he told her not to touch him.
Authorities allege that instead of calling for help, Taylor left the man on the floor and returned to sleep. When she awoke again at 4 a.m., she spoke to her parents for about 30 minutes before checking on the patient. It wasn’t until 5:30 a.m. that Taylor contacted 911, but not before allegedly calling her employer first.
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An autopsy found that the patient died from positional asphyxia, which became worse by his pre-existing medical conditions. During the autopsy, the medical examiner discovered an implanted pacemaker, which revealed that the patient was still alive when Taylor originally found him on the floor at 1 a.m.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office highlighted that if Taylor had followed the correct process and called 911 when she initially discovered the patient, he may have lived.
Sheriff Grady Judd called her actions “outrageous” and “egregious,” stating that anyone, even those not assigned to care for the elderly, would have contacted 911 immediately in similar situations.
“The complete disregard for Mr. Anderson’s life by the person who was employed by his family is completely outrageous, and egregious,” said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd. “I believe someone who was not even being paid to look after this elderly man would have immediately dialed 911 under these circumstances. Her behavior and attitude are simply deplorable. Mr. Anderson’s family members are in our prayers.”
However, Taylor has denied feeling guilty, telling the police, “I didn’t kill that man.” A paramedic on the scene allegedly overheard her say, “He was old anyway, so what does it matter?”
Taylor was arrested on September 26 after an investigation and has since been dismissed by the home healthcare organization. She is being jailed without bond pending her arraignment on October 29. It is unknown if she filed a plea.
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