Richfield police are investigating allegations that staff let a patient die at a nursing home

By David Schuman

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    RICHFIELD, Minnesota (WCCO) — Police are investigating alarming allegations against a metro nursing home.

Richfield police are looking into whether staff at The Villas at Richfield let a patient die then tried to cover it up.

A search warrant filed this week says a patient named Candace Columbus, 55, died there this month, and a responding paramedic later filed a report of abuse with the state.

According to the warrant, the report said The Villas staff “suspected the patient was dying but did not check on her or call 911 promptly.”

When first responders were finally called, staff claimed Columbus had a Do Not Resuscitate order, but they were asked several times for it and didn’t provide it.

A DNR is an instruction to not give CPR if the person stops breathing.

The warrant says first responders saw staff filling out and “suspected of forging” a DNR form.

Body-camera video is said to show staff on the phone with “someone who claims to be the facility manager, who appears to be giving instructions on how to fill out the DNR form.”

In the warrant, police requested Columbus’s medical records, surveillance footage from the day she died, and information about the staff involved in her care.

In a statement to WCCO, Paxton Wiffler, the COO of Monarch Healthcare Management, which owns The Villas, said, “We take these allegations seriously and have conducted a thorough internal review, confirming documentation was in place prior to the incident in question, and that 9-1-1 was called. In addition to our internal review, the Minnesota Department of Health reviewed this incident and found no deficient practice. We do not disclose information regarding the outcomes of internal staff investigations or disciplinary actions, as such information is considered confidential.”

Public records show two complaints at The Villas were investigated this month, and the home was found to be in compliance, although it’s not clear if they’re related to Columbus’s death.

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