Found Deceased MO - Donna Eye, 44, medical cond causing MH issue, sheriff's dep gave her ride from hosp 11pm & left her in Mark Twain Natl Forest, Potosi, 8 Jan 2024

[BeginnerSleuther]

No. Not simply because she was an adult. She has the right to leave the hospital and wasn’t under arrest or being held against her will. It’s just that she needed to be technically processed and “checked out” of the facility as a formality which most comprehend. It records info, that of which is absent in this situation and incident.

As someone who does this at least on a weekly basis, this is not entirely correct. If she wants to leave, she gets to leave. She is not required to sign paperwork. She should, but she is not required to. The hospital has to get their documentation done, but it's pretty frequent when a patient leaves prior to the paperwork being ready for the patient to sign. This is not uncommon.

Also, where is it stated the hospital didn't do their documentation or that she didn't sign the paperwork?

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

A lot of people leave a facility AMA, Against Medical Advice. They don't care about documentation or anything else. Usually the situation is highly charged. In general, the quicker the process goes, the better. No one really cares about the paperwork when a patient wants to leave and is creating a scene.

It is a patient rights issue. Huge Joint Commission mess if a patient is held against their will, without documentation that they are on a 72 hour hold, with a judge sign off.

She wanted to leave, they found her a ride, ASAP.

Partly correct, partly not. We need more information about what this MH issue was. Unfortunately, EVERYTHING involving behavior is lumped under MH by press, law enforcement and even hospitals. But the law makes distinctions. If she had brain swelling, then she likely was delirious, which means she was NOT under a mental health hold as you cannot hold someone with delirium or other brain pathology against their will if they have capacity to leave.

When a patient like this says they want to leave, a capacity evaluation is done. That is completed to determine if the patient understands the risks of leaving. If the patient does, then they may leave, even if they may die. They're allowed to make that decision. I've done these evals on people who've refused further chemotherapy, refused life-saving operations, refused blood draws or transfusions. The law is very clear -- if they understand, they have autonomy (it's only our politicians that don't seem to grasp this concept, but I digress).

When a patient wants to leave and there is concern they DON'T understand and DON'T have capacity, then they are held under a safety hold that is NOT MH related. Capacity evaluation is done every 24 hours or sooner if circumstances have changed. For instance, someone in alcohol withdrawal who is having seizures may not have capacity initially, but as the withdrawal improves and he isnt seizing, capacity can change.

For whatever reason, they determined this woman did have capacity to understand her condition and the risks of leaving vs the benefit of staying in the hospital.

There is no evidence the hospital did anything wrong.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Was she creating a big scene? I missed that. I get it that the patient didn’t care. I’m just asserting that the facility also doesn’t seem to care. There was a lot of “ambivalence and passing of the buck” in the air on that night. Either way, she lost her life, and the authorities are no closer to finding the opportunistic killer in this tragedy.

IMO, you have no evidence of passing of the buck based on what's been posted in this thread. If you have additional information that backs that up, please provide a link.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Timeline has been released which provides more info about her demeanor at the hospital etc. Personally, I think the hospital AND LEO are at fault. per the timeline Donna went to hospital by ambulance in the afternoon.

For a headache and weakness, per the official timeline. This is very important because unless the person is not of sound mind, they are allowed to leave the hospital when they want and hospital LEGALLY cannot keep them. Where is the mental health episode people are talking about? Could she have been given a medication that made her groggy or delirious? Possibly. But if she had capacity, they can't keep her.

the hospital staff discharged her around 6pm. At which point Donna went to sit in the ER area (probably because she arrived by ambulance and had no means to get back home now that she'd been discharged).

An officer there on another matter at around 11:30 pm is contacted by a staffer who requests the LEO give Donna a ride home. The LEO Is concerned for Donna's wellbeing upon making contact with her and speaking with her, so much so that he asks ER staff to examine/assess her.

Hospital responds NOT by assessing Donna, but by providing Donna's brother's address to LEO.

LEO doesn't get to make medical decisions. Those decisions are made by the medical team and the patient. If she didn't want to be examined AGAIN, then the hospital cannot (nor should they) examine her.

I fail to see what the hospital did wrong here.

JMO based on my own expertise.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

IF the timeline provided is to be believed:

She did not leave hospital AMA but was in fact discharged.

That word is used in both scenarios.

Patient not medically appropriate for admission: discharge
Patient leaving AMA: discharge

We generally only document in the official record that patient was "discharged AMA." Either way, they're discharged. Discharge just means they were let go from the hospital.

 

[lilacstorm]

what craziness is this? What LE would leave a recently released MH patient at midnight in the forest, even if it WAS the end of her brother's driveway? Hope there's dashcam footage to back this "story" up

No one should be left at the edge of the forest at night after leaving a hospital. Especially a child, elderly person, or disabled person. This is just awful and a totally preventable death.

 

[Unsolved]

I don't get something marked below in yellow (from the LE timeline upthread) - sorry it's hard to see here, but the part BBM says:

"Trail camera located during search. Footage from camera revealed a green truck in the area near the timeframe Eye was dropped off.
During investigation by Washington County Detectives, the unregistered green truck and operator were identified and located.
The operator of the truck was contacted by Washington County Detectives and interviewed. In the interview, the subject informed them he located Eye's belongings during the early morning hours of January 9, 2024, but did not contact authorities. Subject stated he gave Donna Eye's belongings to her brother."



Why wouldn't he tell authorities he had her belongings? Fear of LE? Just gives me hinky vibes MOO.

Something else besides trees growing in those woods? Surprised by someone, shoot first, talk later? Guess we'll know more when the autopsy results come in.

 

[mst]

No one should be left at the edge of the forest at night after leaving a hospital. Especially a child, elderly person, or disabled person. This is just awful and a totally preventable death.

again an adult not under arrest or in any trouble with LE wants to get out of the car, LE has no legal right to keep them in the car.. This person isnt a child, an elderly person, or disabled and probably was deemed capable of making their own decisions

 

[KooshBall]

Can you imagine the outrage if a woman who was in a sheriff's vehicle for a ride only was not allowed to get out where she wanted to get out? People would claim kidnapping or abuse of power. Not every tragic outcome is somebody's fault.

 

[DeDee]

I suppose this statement lets the police officer who dropped by the hospital to give Donna a lift off the hook. Donna was seen alive in Potosi a day after she was dropped off. RIP Ma'am

According to a Tuesday news release from the Major Case Squad, Eye was last seen on Jan. 9 near Shirley School Road in Potosi. A family member reported her missing on Thursday.
<> Washington County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a deputy responded to a call for service at a hospital on <> Jan. 8 and picked Eye up <>. Twenty minutes later, at around midnight, the deputy dropped Eye off on Shirley School Road.

Sgt. Greg Adams, commander of the Mineral Area Major Case Squad, said that during the execution of a search warrant on a farm located in the 10000 block of Shirley School Road in Potosi in Washington County, Missouri, someone told law enforcement personnel they'd seen a dead body belonging to a woman on the adjoining property nearby.
Google Map

 

[Springrain]

I don't even know what to think at this point, just awful.

 

[dms]

Donna was seen alive in Potosi a day after she was dropped off.

Where do you see this info?

 

[Becky Starkey]

The sheriff said he wants an independent body to review the entire situation and determine whether civilians should be given rides in patrol vehicles.

“It should never be repeated without a solid review,” he said.

Jacobsen said he wants the independent group to question if it’s a service worth providing or if additional safeguards are needed.

The sheriff said he would encourage and “welcome” the entire case file to be released after the investigation is over and the case is closed.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Friday. Investigators said it’s too soon to know if any foul play is involved.
New clues about what happened before mother’s forest death

the video at the link shows the area and terrain where Donna was dropped off.

The hospital <modnote - the Fox affiliate> is showing in the video is not the hospital in Potosi, nor is that city Potosi. I'm from there, it's very rural.

 

[ifindedout]

The hospital <modnote - the Fox affiliate> is showing in the video is not the hospital in Potosi, nor is that city Potosi. I'm from there, it's very rural.

You're right, it isn't. It's Mercy Hospital Washington.

Mercy Hospital Washington · 901 E Fifth St, Washington, MO 63090

★★★★☆ · General hospital

www.google.com

 

[lilacstorm]

again an adult not under arrest or in any trouble with LE wants to get out of the car, LE has no legal right to keep them in the car.. This person isnt a child, an elderly person, or disabled and probably was deemed capable of making their own decisions

I did not suggest or imply that LE should detain someone. LE is absolutely at fault for abandoning a disabled person (yes, this person was disabled) in the woods at night. They are liable for this happening.

 

[dms]

I did not suggest or imply that LE should detain someone. LE is absolutely at fault for abandoning a disabled person (yes, this person was disabled) in the woods at night. They are liable for this happening.

"Disabled" and "incompetent to make one's own decisions" are not the same thing, and LE is not legally qualified to make that distinction either way.

 

[lilacstorm]

"Disabled" and "incompetent to make one's own decisions" are not the same thing, and LE is not legally qualified to make that distinction either way.

And I never said that.

 

[mst]

I think there's a big difference in what morally what we think is right and legally what is right.

 

[OckhamsRazor22]

As someone who does this at least on a weekly basis, this is not entirely correct. If she wants to leave, she gets to leave. She is not required to sign paperwork. She should, but she is not required to. The hospital has to get their documentation done, but it's pretty frequent when a patient leaves prior to the paperwork being ready for the patient to sign. This is not uncommon.

Also, where is it stated the hospital didn't do their documentation or that she didn't sign the paperwork?

Not disagreeing with you on the semantics here. I understand anyone may leave if they so choose. I’ve done it myself when the process took too long and the hospital was overtaxed. Nothing happened. The chestnut never fell from the sky, nor did the authorities come looking for me.

It’s the fact that I am aware of LE giving citizens rides, in very specific circumstances. Being called to give someone a “lift” to their home is not even feasible in my part of the country and state. It’s incredulous to believe this all went down without a hitch, but it did. <modsnip: opinion stated as fact>

 

[OckhamsRazor22]

IMO, you have no evidence of passing of the buck based on what's been posted in this thread. If you have additional information that backs that up, please provide a link.

I’m not asserting the techs and docs at the medical facility are at fault. They didn’t offer to drive her to her home. The LEO agreed to that. The LEO is in a position of power. With that policing power, comes even greater responsibility. The last person to see her alive, was the LEO by all accounts.