An Indiana former nurse’s aide is facing multiple felony charges after prosecutors say she abused several elderly patients, including a 95-year-old woman who suffered a fatal stroke days after the alleged attack.
Denise Beard, 54, has been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death along with four counts of battery against a disabled person following a disturbing investigation involving two separate care facilities in Indiana.
According to reports, the investigation focused heavily on incidents that allegedly happened at Munster Med Inn in December.
Court documents say a registered nurse working the night shift on Dec. 14 heard screaming coming from one of the patient rooms and rushed to investigate.
When the nurse entered the room, she allegedly found Beard pushing 95-year-old Laura Stump in a wheelchair dangerously close to a bed, reportedly tearing skin from the elderly woman’s arm and hand during the encounter.
The situation quickly became even more disturbing.
According to investigators, Stump later told her daughter that Beard punched her, grabbed her arm, and violently shook her.
Court documents also allege Beard hurled racial insults at the elderly woman during the confrontation.
Investigators say Beard allegedly got in Stump’s face and yelled, “You’re a racist old white b—” and accused her of not liking Black or Mexican people.
Stump reportedly responded by telling Beard, “You hurt me. You called me names and you tore my skin.”
Just two days later, the 95-year-old woman suffered what authorities described as a debilitating stroke. She died on Dec. 23.
As investigators dug deeper into the case, additional residents reportedly came forward with shocking allegations of abuse.
One longtime resident accused Beard of calling her a “smelly b—” before punching her in the forehead. The woman also claimed Beard began slapping her roommate during the same shift.
According to court documents, Beard was also overheard allegedly saying, “I don’t know why I do this stupid job.”
Another resident, an 80-year-old man, claimed Beard flipped him off and threw a water bottle in his face after he struggled to lower his bed as instructed.
The investigation also uncovered allegations from Beard’s previous job at South Shore Health and Rehabilitation Center in Gary, Indiana, where she had reportedly been fired just two months earlier.
According to reports, Beard had already been suspended there after allegedly calling one resident “lazy” and saying she wouldn’t help him if he fell from his bed.
In another disturbing incident from October, a 95-year-old resident at that facility was reportedly found crying with a swollen lip and a welt on her face after accusing Beard of repeatedly hitting her.
When confronted about the allegations, Beard allegedly denied them and became combative.
Sterling Healthcare CEO Shalom Menora said Beard was immediately suspended and later fired after refusing to cooperate with the investigation.
“We reported the allegation to the state and started an investigation immediately,” Menora said.
Authorities say Beard is currently being held on a $40,000 bond as the criminal case moves forward.
I can’t imagine the hurt and fear the patients had under her care. How is it that she was fired from one facility and two months later she was working again in the same field.