Three Texas Nursing Home Staffers Charged After Elopement Death

Two people have been arrested and a third is wanted in connection to a nursing home elopement death that took place in February.

According to local news reports, Maria Briones, Jon Kirksey, and Edna Stowe, all former employees of the Tumbleweed Nursing Home in Brownfield were allegedly involved in the death of 71-year-old Willie Byers, a resident at the adult care facility.

On February 3, 2011, all three nursing home staff members were on duty when Byers walked out of the facility and into freezing winter temperatures. He was found dead, of hypothermia and exposure, not long after his elopement. Cameras at the facility captured the man wandering from the nursing home unsupervised. Authorities believe that the three former nursing home employees were negligent and that their negligence was a direct factor in the death.

Briones and Kirksey have both been indicted and released from jail on $10,000. Stowe is still being sought by authorities.

Nursing home elopement deaths can seem like they are nothing more than tragic accidents. However, in reality, wandering deaths are often the result of negligent care facilities or negligent staff. It is reasonable to ask that elder loved ones are supervised and kept safe at their nursing homes, especially those that are suffering from conditions like dementia. If a loved one in your family has been the victim of nursing home negligence or an elopement, contact a Dallas nursing home neglect attorney today.