Elderly people at Wyoming Nursing Homes mysteriously died within months of each other.
Ronda Parker, 66, passed away from an overdose at the Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Centre in Gillette on November 29th, and on January 10th, 88-year-old Judith Duval died of hypothermia.
Parker's cause of death was determined to be “toxic or overdose of known prescription drugs,” Campbell County Coroner Paul Worrem said. It is unclear exactly which medication she took.
Meanwhile, Duval, a patient who lived in the facility's Memory Care Wing, was found dead in an outdoor courtyard, urging the nursing home to call 911 around 5:10am that day.
Worem added that her cause of death was found to be “exposure/hypothermia,” but that she “does not comment on the events leading up to this incident” or at the exact time she died. Gillette News records reported.
The weather forecast said that 10-35 degrees Celsius recorded 2 inches of snow that morning, with 2 inches of snow falling.
Four nursing home staff were fired after Duvall's death. One full-time employee and three contract staff.
As a result of a fatal overdose, Campbell County Health Department spokesperson Brie Richardson said another contracted employee was fired and reported his nursing license to the state.
Two elderly people at the Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center (photo) in Gillette, Wyoming, died within a few months of each other
On January 10, 2025, 88-year-old Judith Duval (pictured) died of hypothermia after a nursing home staff found dead in an outdoor courtyard
Campbell County Health Board Chairman Tom Murphy said the department “expresses our deepest sadness for the families affected.”
“We are not only learning from what happened, but also striving to continue to strive to improve the care and services we provide to our community, as well as learning from the incidents, emerge from these experiences as a safer and stronger institution. We are also committed to it,” Murphy added.
The Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Centre said the facility is “completely working with the authorities” on both cases.
Since Duvall's death, CEO Campbell County Health Matt Shahan said the facility has been strengthened with increased safety measures. They then confirmed that “confirm appropriate measures have been taken with regard to the staff involved and contractors.”
“These steps reflect the dedication of our residents and staff to maintain the highest standards of care and safety,” Nursing Homes has been added.
When contacted by dailymail.com, Deputy Police Chief Brent Wasson, along with Gillette Police Department, said, “The GPD has confirmed that both investigations are aggressive and continuous, but at this time there have been further comments. There is none.”
This is not the first time the Legacy Live and Rehabilitation Center has found itself in hot water, as court records reviewed by dailymail.com revealed another suspicious case related to the facility.
Susan Ersner, daughter of Margaret Wilky, who died in a nursing home on December 22, 2020, quoted “Employee/Agent/Services' Legacy and Direct Negligence of Negligence” on June 23, 2021. He filed a lawsuit against the company. 'The legal submission stated.
Rhonda Parker, 66, (pictured) passed away from an overdose in a nursing home on November 29, 2024. Parker's cause of death was determined to be “toxic or overdose of known prescription drugs.”
Wilkie, 91, has suffered from Alzheimer's disease, COPD and PTSD for years as a result of years of domestic abuse of her spouse.
Due to her many health conditions, Wilkie “needed a safe environment where she could provide ongoing care, supervision and skilled nursing services,” the lawsuit added.
When choosing to send loved ones to live in a nursing home, Wilkie's family said they reported on her history of spouse abuse and that she wanted to live in a “safe and safe environment.” I said that.
The lawsuit stated that a particular nurse, Crystal Nelisse, was “ignored and abused Mrs. Wilkey multiple times, physically and verbally.”
According to the lawsuit, on three occasions from late June to July 2019, Nelisse was verbally abused, choked, and negligently led herself towards Wilkie.
Heather Leken, aided by another nurse who worked there, testified during the trial, saying on July 1, 2019 that “Mrs. Nelisse abused Mrs. Wilkie twice separately.”
Additionally, Luken witnessed Wilkie's “serene attitude” rapidly changing during the incident, giving her the impression that Wilkie had tried to tell her that she had been hurt or abused by Neris. He said he left it.
Luken said that Nelisse was allegedly accused the old lady on her bed, which left a mockery, Gillette News' records previously reported.
Instead of reporting the abuse immediately, Luken allowed Mrs. Wilkie to remain in Mrs. Wilkie's room, and Mrs. Luken set Mrs. Wilkie up for the bed, according to the lawsuit. ”
Nelysse then climbed onto the bed and continued to pin down Wilkie for “hot seconds.”
Susan Ersner, daughter of Margaret Wilkie (pictured) who passed away in a nursing home on December 22, 2020, filed a lawsuit against the company on June 23, 2021, claiming that “the estate of employees/agents and Direct negligence of negligence/servant's
After the attack was reported, the dishonest nurse gave conflicting explanations about what happened and what was concluded, according to the affidavit.
The lawsuit alleges that “the estate was chronically understaffed and therefore hired contracted employees, including Nelisse.”
In addition to the way Nelisse, a travel CNA who worked there for four months, treated Wilkie, the suit also said that her “negative attitude” and that she was “angry about touching staff and residents.” I shined the light.
More than a year after filing the lawsuit, the nursing home first said Neris was an agent there, and then claimed she wasn't, the lawsuit stated.
In an amended complaint filed on April 17, 2023, Ersner said:
The ju trial was held from March 18th to 23rd, 2024 for civil lawsuits. The district court held that the document stated that “Nellise's actions on July 1, 2019 were intentional and not liable for her abuse that day.”
In another criminal trial in 2021, Crystal Nelisse (pictured) pleaded guilty to abuse of a vulnerable adult
However, after hearing the proposed verdict made by the district court, 12 ju apprentices discovered that both the nurse and the estate were responsible.
“Nelisse was not an independent contractor. (2) Nelisse was an agent of heritage. (3) Legacy, its employees or its agents are accepted as standard in the care and treatment of Margaret Wilkie. “It was negligent in failing to meet care,” the lawsuit stated the ju judge's decision.
Nursing homes found to have 25% of people with disabilities, while Nelisse had 75% who had broken down. The total losses were $660,000.
In another criminal trial in 2021, Nelisse pleaded guilty to abuse a vulnerable adult.
In her ruling, Nelisse expressed her “deepest apology” to Wilkie's family, adding that “my actions and actions are completely wrong and unacceptable.”
Her judicial agreement called for three to six years behind bars, but the judge stopped in favor of 180 days in prison and three years of supervised probation.
District Judge S. Healy III added that her plea “reflects the severity of the crime, simply punishing the nature of the violation, and “for that family, it cannot be made right.” .
The Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Dailymail.com.
