Three employees of an assisted living and memory care facility have been accused of abusing elderly patients and encouraging them to fight each other in what was purported as a source of their entertainment.
A relative of a resident of the Danby House in Winston-Salem, NC, got in touch with the Winston-Salem Police Department to report that they believed their loved one and at least one other person was being mistreated by the staff. Both of the women who were reportedly being subjected to the abuse live with dementia and exceed the age of 70.
The state Department of Health and Human Services worked with the police department in a combined effort to try to learn the details behind the allegations.
While investigating the claims the authorities discovered that 32-year-old Marilyn Latish McKey, 26-year-old Taneshia Deshawn Jordan, and 20-year-old Tonacia Yvonne Tyson, three women who work at the Danby House, appeared to be involved in the alleged abusive incidents.
The women have been accused of two separate incidents involving the mistreatment of the residents in their care, both of which were reportedly recorded on video by the suspects.
On one occasion, McKey allegedly shoved a 73-year-old woman into a room while the two other suspects reportedly filmed the incident instead of intervening to help the woman.
The authorities allegedly discovered a second recording displaying the three suspects as they verbally fueled a physical altercation between the woman who had reportedly been pushed by McKey and the 70-year-old woman who were both referenced in the initial complaint. While the two residents brawled one of them called out for help, but the suspects allegedly denied the request and instead continued filming. It has also been alleged that the suspects planned to forward the video to each other so they would all have a copy.
On October 2, Jordan was taken into custody, and Tyson was arrested the following day. They were both charged with one count of assaulting an individual with a disability.
McKey, who was placed under arrest on October 10, is facing two counts of assaulting an individual with a disability.
All three women have been fired from their positions at the Danby House as a result of the accusations.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.