A Colorado health care worker is currently incarcerated, while another faces impending legal action, as authorities allege their involvement in elder abuse concerning injuries sustained by a 92-year-old woman suffering from “severe dementia.”
On Wednesday, Patience Jackson, 33, was taken into custody at her residence, as reported by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office. She faces serious charges, including criminal negligence, crimes against an at-risk individual, and complicity, all classified as felonies. Zainab Namale, the second suspect, faces an arrest warrant and has been granted a 24-hour window to surrender, as she is currently in Miami.
On May 9, a deputy from the sheriff’s office, known as “Investigator VanCleave,” responded to a report of elder abuse at Sky Ridge Medical Center involving a 92-year-old victim whose identity remains undisclosed. Hospital staff expressed concern over a woman who sustained two distinct fractures in her lower leg, affecting both her shinbone and calf bone, as reported by the sheriff’s office.
A woman was said to have been taken to the hospital the day before from the Orchard Park Health Care Center, located approximately eight miles away. Nonetheless, the hospital staff informed the investigator that the victim’s injuries “did not align” with the details outlined in the rehabilitation center’s report.
A shocking incident unfolded as authorities revealed that a woman was discovered in her wheelchair, “screaming for help in terrible pain,” with no witnesses to her fall, according to the sheriff’s office. Several staff members at the center provided their accounts of the incident leading to the injury.
According to an affidavit obtained by KUSA, Jackson, a certified nursing assistant, and Namale, a licensed practical nurse, reported that the woman sustained her injury while seated in her wheelchair. According to reports, the director of nursing at the center stated that the victim sustained injuries during her transfer from a wheelchair to her bed. Other staff members noted that the woman had a tendency to “plant her feet” when receiving assistance, potentially leading to a twisting motion that resulted in the fractures.
Hospital personnel expressed skepticism.
A surgeon has stated that the injury is not a spiral fracture, contrary to what the rehab center employees proposed. Instead, it is described as a “clean break” occurring in two places, which could not have happened while she was in a wheelchair.
During the course of the investigation, the investigator concluded that Jackson and Namale were probably not being truthful regarding the circumstances of the woman’s injury. He further asserted that they “played a role in concealing the reality of what transpired with the victim.”
Jackson is currently held at the Arapahoe County Detention Center, with a bond set at $2,500. Questions linger about Namale’s status as of Thursday—was he apprehended, or is he still on the run? The sheriff’s office confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing.
