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.
Authorities report that Taylor’s shift started at 9 p.m., but shortly after beginning her duties, she allegedly fell asleep on the living room couch. This behavior was in direct violation of her job requirements, which prohibited sleeping while on duty.
Around 1 a.m., Taylor reportedly woke up after hearing a “thump” coming from the patient’s bedroom. Upon checking, she found the elderly man on the floor with his head stuck between the nightstand and the bed. Taylor claimed that when she attempted to help the patient back into bed, he asked her not to touch him.
Authorities said that instead of calling for help, Taylor left the man on the floor and went back to sleep. When she awakened again at 4 a.m., she spent around 30 minutes talking with her parents before checking on the patient. Taylor didn’t call 911 until 5:30 a.m., after reportedly calling her employer first.
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An autopsy revealed that the patient died from positional asphyxia, compounded by his pre-existing health issues. During the autopsy, the medical examiner discovered an implanted pacemaker, which showed that the patient was still alive when Taylor initially found him on the floor at 1 a.m.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that had Taylor followed the proper protocol by calling 911 when she first found the patient, he might have survived.
Sheriff Grady Judd criticized her behavior as “outrageous” and “egregious,” noting that anyone, even those not employed to care for the elderly, would have likely dialed 911 immediately under similar circumstances.
Taylor, however, has denied responsibility, reportedly telling police, “I didn’t kill that man.” A paramedic at the scene allegedly overheard her saying, “He was old anyway so what does it matter?”
Taylor was arrested on September 26, following an investigation, and has since been fired by the home healthcare company. She is being held without bail and awaits her arraignment hearing scheduled for October 29. It remains unclear if she has entered a plea.
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