Police are still seeking answers following the death of a 93-year-old woman who police say died shortly after she was found in frigid temperatures near a nursing home Sunday morning.
Windsor Locks Police Lt. Paul Cherniack said the department was in “fact finding” mode concerning the death of Margaret Healey.
“We are not pointing fingers at anyone,” Cherniack told the Courant. “We need to know if everything that was done was in their protocol and also reasonable and justifiable. When we look at it there are big gaps there. We would like to know why.”
The gaps refer to the lapse in time between when staff at the Bickford Health Care Center found Healey on top of snow adjacent to the facility and when they notified police. Staff noticed Healey was missing at 4:45 a.m. and began to search for her. Police were called at 6:23 a.m. Cherniack said.
“That is a long time for these types of things,” Cherniack said. “We will find out.”
Cherniack said police were uncertain about how much time it took for the facility to contact the police after she was discovered.
“We want to know how long she was actually missing before they noticed her missing and what happened between the time she was found and the time we were called,” Cherniack said.
Paramedics said Healey died at 6:46 am., according to Cherniack.
Bickford Health Care Center officials declined to comment.
Cherniack said Monday that the investigation is continuing surrounding Healey’s death and includes the state Department of Public Health, which “would be fully engaged.”
Cherniack said Healey, who was identified for the first time Monday, was known to wander about the premises.
He said that she had Alzheimer’s, dementia and cognitive disabilities.
He said that she had an alert device on her ankle which is supposed to activate in areas where she is unauthorized to be such as going outside unsupervised.
When staff noticed Healey missing they began to check the interior of the facility to no avail, Cherniack said.
“The search extended into the outdoor area and once they got to the front of the building they responded with a wheelchair to bring her inside and began warming efforts,” he said.
Cherniack said according to the facility Healey had a low pulse at the time. He said police were still verifying that information.
“There are different things in play,” he said. “Did the alarm system work as advertised? Is there a database to verify? Did the exposure to the cold play a part in this and what was her overall general health? We are looking for videos, whether it is exterior or even across the street to get an outside view of everything.”
Cherniack said the medical examiner’s determination of the cause of death will also be helpful in the case.
“Did she die because of exposure to weather?,” he said. “Did she die of a heart attack out there?”
The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner said Monday that her cause of death is “Pending Further Studies” and the manner of her death is “Pending Investigation.”
Cherniack said is unaware if the facility has a locked down unit.
He said tightening up the timeline will be critical in the case and also learning how staff responds to an incident when an alert device such as Healey’s is activated.
“Do they go to the door and take a look and and see if anyone is there?” he said. “The videos will help. We have to catch up on all these things and get enlightened by the people who were there.”