GUILTY Canada - Registered nurse facing 8 murder charges, Woodstock, Ont, 25 Oct 2016

[musicaljoke]

Nursing homes rarely have Pyxis machines to dose meds. SOME INSUlins can safely be stored at room temp for a limited time on the med cart. Perhaps Canada is different, but I have never needed a second signature to administer a narcotic in that setting, but of course wouldn't need to count before and after shift with second nurse. ...

In Canada, most narcotics are dispensed with two nurses and a count at the change of shift. You usually have to log in with your badge or some sort of ID. Most are electronically dispensed using a nurse's code or fob key. There may be exceptions in remote areas. In most nursing homes, all the meds are prepared by a pharmacy and prepackaged in individual portions, with the patient's name and time that the med is to be dispensed. Since drugs are covered by our public health insurance, this cost of prepacking each dose, costs the gov't a ton in dispensing fees, but that's another subject.

So a nurse generally can't go to a fridge to find a bottle of insulin. All the insulin which is to be dispensed is prepackaged in the required dose for each patient. In order to kill someone, a nurse would have to rob from the other residents to get enough to do the dastardly deed. Surely, the next shift nurse would wonder why everyone's blood levels are too high and why the resident in Room Five is in convulsions. But, maybe that's exactly what happened.

Maybe someone here could figure out how much insulin it would take, and how many patients would be short changed in order to do it. Or, she could just buy it OTC, but the stuff costs enough, especially if you needed 130mls or so.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Even at our tiny, local facility, insulin isn't freely available anymore as you describe, so I would be quite surprised to know that it is still like this at Caressant Care, which is a large nursing home. But, it's available OTC and certainly not restricted.

Death by insulin overdose would be an unusual circumstance, I would think. It's not like giving a patient a lethal dose of a barbituate and they simply go to sleep. Insulin overdose would cause some alarming symptoms that should lead the staff to send the victim to the hospital.

Except SHE is 'the staff'.

 

[Satchie]

Just catching up on this horrific case. Is it possible that her therapist was the person who tipped off police? It seems obvious that she knew the charges were coming.

MOO

Imo it looks like she confessed, possibly to LE directly. LE had to scramble to confirm the details because the cases weren't even on their radar, and had to consult with prosecutors to decide what charges to lay. If they'd been building a case for a long time, she'd have been arrested right away.

 

[kdgdid]

Just catching up on this horrific case. Is it possible that her therapist was the person who tipped off police? It seems obvious that she knew the charges were coming.

MOO

That is my theory as well, someone close to her notified LE after she disclosed to them what she had done.

edited to include this article that states it was staff members at a treatment centre who alerted LE http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/woodstock-nurse-investigation-1.3822235

 

[Ontario Mom]

I don't know if it's been confirmed in MSM but I believe it has been - that she was in rehab not that long ago? So... during a counselling session or something, she spilled the beans? I suppose addiction counselors hear all kinds of wild things from people struggling with addiction. Just speculating.

A source with knowledge of the investigation told CBC News on Wednesday that CAMH phoned Toronto police in September about information Wettlaufer provided about the deaths of patients. Because the allegations did not involve any Toronto residents, the force alerted other police agencies.

 

[kdgdid]

I don't know if it's been confirmed in MSM but I believe it has been - that she was in rehab not that long ago? So... during a counselling session or something, she spilled the beans? I suppose addiction counselors hear all kinds of wild things from people struggling with addiction. Just speculating.

I am sure that they do here some wild things. I believe counselors are mandatory reporters and if a person is thought to be a danger to themselves or others they are legally obligated to report it.

 

[dotr]

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada...der-charges-followed-tip-from-camh-staff.html

The suspect in eight nursing-home murders in southwestern Ontario was identified after she told staff at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto about the deaths, a source has confirmed to the Toronto Star.

Elizabeth Tracy Mae Wettlaufer was at CAMH last month, where she divulged “things that were concerning” regarding the deaths, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.
CAMH then contacted Toronto police, who passed the information along to other police forces because none of the deaths occurred in Toronto.

If convicted, Wettlaufer will be among the worst serial killers in Canada’s history.

If a hospital patient, who happens to be a health professional such as a nurse, discloses she has harmed people “and as a result other patients could potentially be at risk,” there is also an obligation to alert the regulatory body for that profession, such as the College of Nurses of Ontario, an Ontario hospital representative said on the condition of anonymity.

rbbm.

 

[dotr]

http://www.cp24.com/news/i-haven-t-slept-daughter-of-alleged-nursing-home-victim-says-1.3132062
Horvath was 'nervous' at nursing home, daughter says

Speaking to CP24 Wednesday, Horvath’s daughter said she was alarmed by her father’s behaviour when she would go to visit him at the nursing home.

“He was very nervous. He was always twitching his finger and biting his nail,” she said, adding that she sensed her father was fearful.
Horvath said the news has taken a toll on her family.
“I haven’t slept in, let me think, over a week or so correctly,” she said
“People are suffering here. It is affecting our health and everything.”

In his spare time, Gall said Horvath, who owned two farms, loved to hunt and travel the world.

“He travelled across Europe, Canada, Africa and many other places pursuing his passion for the outdoors,” he said.
Gall said he was “shocked and saddened” to learn of the circumstances around Horvath’s death.
“I pray for his family who have to relive his passing,” Gall said.

Arpad Horvath, 75, is seen in this submitted photo.

 

[LayzeeDayzee]

I think it's pretty clear that it was insulin that she injected these residents with, for the peace bond in place early in the month (while LE was investigating) contained the condition that she not be in the possession of insulin unless it was for her own personal use. I've read in articles out lately that the Caressant Care home she worked at, she worked the night shift and that she was the RN responsible for administering meds to 99 residents. Having briefly worked as an RN in a large care home, there is only ever 1 RN on duty on a night shift ,the other staff would be care aids, maybe 3-4. Administering someone a large dose of short acting insulin would cause them to go into a diabetic coma, their heart would stop. With 99 residents and less overall staff on in general, the care aids would be kept very busy answering call bells, turning residents in bed, changing diapers and would very likely have no idea about 1 resident who was in a health crisis particularly if the murdering RN took steps to keep them occupied elsewhere. Remember, this isn't an acute care facility. Many care aids in these facilities don't even have formal training. And they are usually run off their feet through even the night with turning residents in bed (to prevent bedsores), changing soiled bedding, changing diapers. Some residents are also in private rooms as well so a murdering RN could simply close their door. And because insulin is readily available in Canada without a Rx, a murdering RN cold even buy some at any pharmacy and bring it to work with her and nobody would have a clue.

Even at our tiny, local facility, insulin isn't freely available anymore as you describe, so I would be quite surprised to know that it is still like this at Caressant Care, which is a large nursing home. But, it's available OTC and certainly not restricted.

Death by insulin overdose would be an unusual circumstance, I would think. It's not like giving a patient a lethal dose of a barbituate and they simply go to sleep. Insulin overdose would cause some alarming symptoms that should lead the staff to send the victim to the hospital.

 

[LayzeeDayzee]

I've worked in a large chain care home (Bethany) here in Alberta and while pill meds were already prepackaged in individual blister packs for that resident ,things like Insulin were not ready to go/already drawn up in premeasured syringes ,the RN would draw up the insulin dose at the time she was ready to administer it. So potentially, unless a murdering RN brought her own bottle of insulin into the facility with her (easy to get in Canada, no Rx needed, can walk into any pharmacy and ask for any type), she could easily draw up a single lethal dose of short acting insulin and nobody would ever know or check (nobody checks volume of insulin left in a single insulin bottle...and she spaced out her murders with many months and sometimes years in between).

In Canada, most narcotics are dispensed with two nurses and a count at the change of shift. You usually have to log in with your badge or some sort of ID. Most are electronically dispensed using a nurse's code or fob key. There may be exceptions in remote areas. In most nursing homes, all the meds are prepared by a pharmacy and prepackaged in individual portions, with the patient's name and time that the med is to be dispensed. Since drugs are covered by our public health insurance, this cost of prepacking each dose, costs the gov't a ton in dispensing fees, but that's another subject.

So a nurse generally can't go to a fridge to find a bottle of insulin. All the insulin which is to be dispensed is prepackaged in the required dose for each patient. In order to kill someone, a nurse would have to rob from the other residents to get enough to do the dastardly deed. Surely, the next shift nurse would wonder why everyone's blood levels are too high and why the resident in Room Five is in convulsions. But, maybe that's exactly what happened.

Maybe someone here could figure out how much insulin it would take, and how many patients would be short changed in order to do it. Or, she could just buy it OTC, but the stuff costs enough, especially if you needed 130mls or so.

 

[musicaljoke]

I think it's pretty clear that it was insulin that she injected these residents with, for the peace bond in place early in the month (while LE was investigating) contained the condition that she not be in the possession of insulin unless it was for her own personal use. I've read in articles out lately that the Caressant Care home she worked at, she worked the night shift and that she was the RN responsible for administering meds to 99 residents. Having briefly worked as an RN in a large care home, there is only ever 1 RN on duty on a night shift ,the other staff would be care aids, maybe 3-4. Administering someone a large dose of short acting insulin would cause them to go into a diabetic coma, their heart would stop. With 99 residents and less overall staff on in general, the care aids would be kept very busy answering call bells, turning residents in bed, changing diapers and would very likely have no idea about 1 resident who was in a health crisis particularly if the murdering RN took steps to keep them occupied elsewhere. Remember, this isn't an acute care facility. Many care aids in these facilities don't even have formal training. And they are usually run off their feet through even the night with turning residents in bed (to prevent bedsores), changing soiled bedding, changing diapers. Some residents are also in private rooms as well so a murdering RN could simply close their door. And because insulin is readily available in Canada without a Rx, a murdering RN cold even buy some at any pharmacy and bring it to work with her and nobody would have a clue.

I can see this as a logical scenerio. But if so, what evidence would be available to indicate that the residents were murdered? Can the police charge BW with first degree murder based on her confession only?

 

[Kamille]

CTV news is reporting family members have been told that insulin was used to kill their loved ones and that these were not mercy killings but rather she killed people who "pissed her off".

Chilling details on nurse accused of murdering 8 patients

http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.3133585

 

[matou]

CTV news is reporting family members have been told that insulin was used to kill their loved ones and that these were not mercy killings but rather she killed people who "pissed her off".

Chilling details on nurse accused of murdering 8 patients

http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.3133585

And LE had her stay at her parent's place before her arrest. What if they pissed her off too?

 

[Ontario Mom]

These poor families. I cannot even imagine their heartache right now.

 

[Satchie]

I can see this as a logical scenerio. But if so, what evidence would be available to indicate that the residents were murdered? Can the police charge BW with first degree murder based on her confession only?

I think so, as long as the confession is voluntary, and is consistent with the facts ie the actual deaths and what is known about them. They'll have questioned her repeatedly to see if her story changed, as it tends to do when someone is lying.

It's a highly unusual situation tho, legally, morally, socially.

 

[Kamille]

These poor families. I cannot even imagine their heartache right now.

I know. I think everyone here has had, has, or will have an elderly parent or relative in a long term care nursing home. My mother passed away in one, no autopsy as she had advanced Alzheimer's and it was assumed that she passed from the disease. To think that I, or any of us, could receive a phone call or visit from LE with this kind of news, like these families have, makes me shudder.

MOO

 

[Sillybilly]

Nursing home deaths: Elizabeth Wettlaufer's charge sheet and peace bond revealed

Five things we learned from court documents:

1. Accused murderer Elizabeth Wettlaufer knew for at least 19 days that cops looking at her. Police told media they were investigating something in late September — they wouldn’t say what, or where, or who — but on Oct. 6, Wettlaufer signed a peace bond with 10 conditions.

[...]

 

[Kamille]

So it seems that EW did confess to staff at CAMH in Toronto where she was suffering from and seeking treatment for, addiction and mental health issues. It appears that Toronto LE had no jurisdiction and had to pass on the investigation to the OPP and police forces in Woodstock and London. That must have eaten up a few days which explains why the peace bond took some time?

The following article quotes a friend of hers in Woodstock who received text messages alluding to the murders during the time EW was being investigated. I guess LE could not immediately arrest her based on her word alone and needed to fast track the investigation while allowing her to remain free? It also appears that about 10 days into the investigation, it was decided that she needed to enter into a peace bond agreement before LE were prepared to arrest her and lay criminal charges. I guess due to her mental health concerns, they had to be sure that she was serious about what claimed she had done? And just allowing her to remain free during the investigation was not good enough? They wanted some assurance that she would keep the peace and that she knew they were keeping close tabs on her?

http://www.lfpress.com/2016/10/26/n...rned-in-accused-murderer-elizabeth-wettlaufer

 

[Kamille]

Looks like EW had a long list of disciplinary problems at Caressant Care and was eventually let go from the facility.

http://www.cp24.com/staff-at-woodst...out-nurse-now-facing-murder-charges-1.3134897

ETA: For those who followed the Victoria Stafford case, you may remember that the Caressant Care nursing home was on the same street (Fyfe Ave) as Victoria's school and it was actually in their parking lot where MR parked the car and she was abducted. Her maternal grandfather was also a resident there at the time. I'm sure they never thought they'd end up in the news again like this.

 

[Kamille]

Appears many other families are uneasy about their own loved one's deaths during that time frame, but LE seem confident that there are no other murders. I wonder what they have that makes them so sure?

http://www.woodstocksentinelreview....ives-whove-lost-loved-ones-now-have-questions