By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-26 17:39:25 | Updated at 2024-09-30 17:27:10
3 days ago
An Ohio nursing home is at the center of a homicide investigation following the death of a 72-year-old resident.
Arbors of Ohio, which has multiple facilities in the state, is being accused of medically neglecting Lucy Garcia in the months before her death in July of this year.
Garcia had been a resident of their Oregon nursing home for years before her death, which was ruled a homicide from complications of a severe bed sore.
According to an autopsy report undertaken by the Lucas County Coroner, her death came about due to medical neglect.
The report said she had sustained the sore between May and June, with the Garcia family attorney describing it as a 'big open wound on her backside'.
Arbors of Ohio, which has multiple facilities in the state, is being accused of medically neglecting Lucy Garcia in the months before her death in July of this year
Garcia had been a resident of their Oregon nursing home, seen here, for years before her death
Matthew Mooney, who is representing the bereaved family, told WTOL11 that Garcia was well loved by her family.
He said: 'They're devastated. Lucy was the matriarch of her family. She had a huge family.
The coroner's report said she had sustained the sore between May and June
'She had grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Four sons. And they're all devastated by her loss.
'They trusted the Arbors to take care of Lucy, they trusted the Arbors to provide for her, and the Arbors represented to them they could do just that. Clearly they couldn't.'
According to the coroner's office, the family had reported a decline in her health in the weeks leading up to her death.
Mooney also told 13abc: 'The bed sore had already progressed to the point it was down to her bone.
'There are horrific pictures of the bed sore. It’s completely inexcusable for someone like Lucy to develop a bed so serious in a nursing home setting.'
Local police are now investigating the death after the publication of the coroner's findings.
She is survived by her four sons, her 18 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, according to her obituary
According to an obituary for Garcia, she was an avid sports fan and supported the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Indians, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
She also loved attending sporting events, going fishing and camping, as well as playing bingo.
The family write in the posting: 'Her spark left a forever place in the hearts of everyone surrounding her.'
She is survived by her four sons, her 18 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, according to the obituary.
