Colleen Kelly O'Connor twice saw Lois Kathryn Cary try to go out into a blizzard without proper clothing and failed to take any action. Ms. Cary was found barely alive by a snowplow operator the next morning, but subsequently died of hypothermia in a hospital:
East Lansing caregiver convicted in death of elderly woman found in snowbank
By Ken Palmer - June 7, 2024ST. JOHNS — An East Lansing woman who was a caregiver at an assisted living center in Bath Township was convicted Friday in connection with an elderly woman’s death.
A jury found Colleen Kelly O'Connor guilty of second degree vulnerable adult abuse. She faces up to four years in prison for the felony conviction.
She was ordered to stand trial in January in connection with the death of 82-year-old resident Lois Kathryn Cary, who was found by a snowplow driver in the parking lot of the facility during a blizzard two days before Christmas in 2022.
The state Attorney General's Office said O'Connor recklessly failed to prevent Cary from going outside during the Dec. 23 blizzard at Vista Springs Imperial Park at Timber Ridge Village on Park Lake Road. O'Connor was a staffer at the facility.
The AG’s office said O'Connor twice saw Cary try to go outside without proper clothing but failed to take action to prevent the tragedy.
An attorney for O'Connor previously said the incident was "a tragic accident," not an intentional or reckless act.
"Our hearts go out to the family who lost a loved one, but we are confident that when the whole story is released (O'Connor) will be found innocent of any wrongdoing," the attorney, David B. Carter Jr., told the State Journal earlier this year.
Cary was found lying outside the facility by a snowplow driver about 7 a.m., partially covered by a layer of drifted snow, according to police reports. She died a short time later at a hospital. The Lansing region was under a winter storm warning at the time, with blizzard conditions lasting for more than two days.
While the AG’s office said it wasn’t clear how long Cary was outside, she died at a local hospital of hypothermia.
“This verdict does not undo the tragic loss of life, but we hope it serves as a reminder of the immense responsibility caregivers have,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “I want to thank the Bath Township Police Department for their partnership during the investigation of this difficult case.”
O’Connor is scheduled to be sentenced at 10:30 a.m. July 29.
The AG's health care fraud division investigated the case in conjunction with Bath Township police.
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