A 63-year-old woman reported missing from a skilled nursing facility in Concord on Saturday was found dead Tuesday morning. Rosemary Nelson, who family members say had gone missing from other board and care facilities in the past, was found dead in a culvert off of Will Pass Road, east of Lynwood Drive. Investigators had searched the area near the nursing home over the weekend with police dogs, but did not find Nelson.
According to reports by KTVU News, Nelson was last seen at about 5 p.m. Saturday at the convelescent home in the 100 block of San Miguel Road in Concord. She was reported missing shortly after 7:30 p.m. Saturday night, and found dead at around 8 a.m. Tuesday. The Contra Costa Coroner's Office found her primary cause of death to be exposure.
Negligence and lack of supervision at nursing homes occurs at alarming, epidemic rates, and family members are understandably outraged. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Rosemary Nelson as they cope with this preventable tragedy.
Last February, an 89-year-old woman froze to death in the courtyard outside her nursing home in Itasca, Illinois. Nursing home employees returned the woman to her bed and attempted to make her death appear natural. The woman's three daughters have since filed a wrongful death suit against the nursing home. In December 2008, a 95-year-old Missouri woman was found dead outside her nursing home in a wheelchair in Florissant, Missouri.
The family of Rosemary Nelson would well-advised to speak with a California nursing home neglect attorney, who will help protect their rights and ensure justice is served. If the nursing home was aware of the resident's wandering tendencies and did not monitor her whereabouts and safety, the family may have a claim for negligence and wrongful death.
Leave a comment