'This was torture': State-paid caregivers allegedly abused disabled patient to death, left her in 'bathtub in her own feces for days'
"The abuse and neglect that she endured was horrific and the injuries she sustained are among the worst I have seen in my career as a prosecutor," New Mexico AG Raúl Torrez said in a statement.
lawandcrime.com
Two at-home caregivers who were being paid by the state of New Mexico to care for a developmentally disabled 38-year-old woman face multiple felony charges for allegedly torturing the victim to death in a horrific fashion.
Angelita R. Chacon and Patricia Hurtado were taken into custody last week and charged with abuse or neglect of a resident resulting in death, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, and failure to report the death of Mary Melero, authorities announced.
A third woman, Luz Scott, who was not a paid caregiver, was also arrested in connection with the alleged crimes against Melero and charged with one count of false imprisonment and one count of conspiracy to commit false imprisonment.
The University Medical Center described Melero’s “extensive” injuries as being “chronic wounds” that continued to worsen.
“The filed arrest warrant indicates that the victim was left in a bathtub in her own feces for days at a time and according to medical professionals had infected pressure sores resulting in septic shock,” prosecutors wrote in the release.
