CUYAHOGA COUNTY — An Ohio nurse has been formally charged in connection to the death of an 84-year-old woman, according to a spokesperson with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office.
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A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Amber Henderson, 32, on one count of involuntary manslaughter, one count of tampering with records, and one count of patient neglect.
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Alvera Meuri, 84, was a resident of the Avenue at Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center in Cuyahoga County when she died in December 2024, according to the spokesperson.
Prosecutors said Henderson started her shift and got her resident assignment, which included Meuri, on Dec. 23 around 9:15 p.m.
The previous nurse told Henderson that Meuri couldn’t walk by herself and last checked on her around 8:40 p.m.
The spokesperson said Henderson checked on Meuri in her room but noticed she wasn’t there.
Henderson assumed Meuri left with family members, so she kept working.
She tried to call Meuri’s family around 12:35 a.m. to check if she was with them, but they didn’t answer.
A “Code Purple” was issued around 6:30 a.m. after Henderson told her supervisor that she had not seen Meuri during her entire shift, according to the spokesperson.
The Warrensville Heights Police Department responded to the facility.
Other nurses found Meuri lying on her back outside on the patio around 8 a.m.
Warrensville Heights EMS were called to the facility and took Meuri to a nearby hospital, where she died.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner found that hypothermia caused Meuri’s death, according to the spokesperson.
A Warrensville Heights Police Department investigation revealed that every new nurse at the facility gets four weeks of training, which includes what to do if a resident is missing, according to our CBS affiliate WOIO-19.
Nurses must also check the residents every two hours.
The investigation also found that Henderson lied about completing several tasks that were required to be given to Meuri during her shift.
WOIO-19 reports that every door should be locked with a keypad, but there was an unlocked door near Meuri’s room that led to a staircase to the patio.
Meuri was unable to get back inside because the doors lock from the outside.
Henderson will be arraigned at a later date.
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