Nursing homes are supposed to be places of safety for our elder loved ones and those unable to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, there are times when these loved ones suffer from abuse and neglect while in the care of nursing facilities. One nurse in Canada took it a little too far by becoming a serial killer in what Canadian news calls the worst series of serial killings in Canadian history, as the New York Times reports.
49-year-old Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer pleaded guilty late last month to injecting a total of 14 patients with insulin. 8 of those patients died. She administered the injections between 2007 and 2014.
According to Wettlaufer’s mother, she suffers from bi-polar disorder and is receiving medications.
The eight victims who died as a result of Wettlaufer’s actons ranged in age from 75 to 96. Seven of them resided at the Woodstock nursing home where Wettlaufer was employed until 2014. The final victim was a resident of a London, Ontario nursing home that briefly employed Wettlaufer.
Wettlaufer is scheduled to be sentenced late this month, according to News.
Wettlaufer, who had been divorced from her husband, felt that after her marriage ended, that God was speaking through her but after she had committed a few of the murders, she wondered if it might have been the Devil speaking through her.
The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario has called for a public inquiry of the victims who died at the hands of Wettlaufer.
If you believe that you or someone you love has suffered from abuse or neglect while in the care of a nursing facility, contact the law offices of Schenk Smith. Let our experienced attorneys fight for you. Call us today.
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