12th Death Linked To Hollywood Nursing Home
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami) -- A 12th person linked to the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills died Thursday evening.
Broward's Medical Examiner's Office said Dolores Biamonte, 57, had similar symptoms as other patients who died after being taken from the center to Memorial Regional Hospital, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Biamonte's death is being included in the total deaths linked to air conditioning failure at the center after Hurricane Irma knocked out the power - leaving residents sweltering in the facility for several days after Hurricane Irma hit the area.
Biamonte's autopsy will be performed Friday.
Earlier this week, crime scene investigators carried out a search warrant at the facility revealing just what detectives were looking into during their investigation of the center.
The warrant, filed at the Broward Clerk of Court's Office Wednesday, includes photographs, video surveillance and recording devices, building maintenance records, air and electrical testing, along with personnel records and logs for employees on duty between September 10th through September 13, 2017.
Detectives also searched for time logs, visitor logs, cleaning crew logs, manifests, delivery logs, phone logs, inspection documents, training documents and license documents of employees and the facility.
Cellphone video taken by a family member of patients at Hollywood Hills after Hurricane Irma knocked out power to the facility revealed a glimpse of the conditions inside.
Fans were set up and windows were opened to try to let air in. A naked patient was slumped over, apparently in an attempt to stay cool. In the sweltering heat, some patients' temperatures climbed to nearly 110 degrees.
The search warrant also showed that police want to know how the patients inside the facility were treated.
The warrant said police were looking for any and all documents regarding patients who were present at the facility between September 10, 2017 through September 13, 2017, and their treatment, including documentation regarding what personnel cared for what patients.
As the crisis unfolded, patients were evacuated and the finger-pointing began.
Governor Rick Scott accused the facility of failing to safeguard its patients and send them to a hospital right next door. Hollywood Hills, meanwhile, said it notified the Governor's Office in a series of phone calls as soon as the air conditioning went out.
The voice mails left by the facility on the Governor's phone were deleted but the Governor's office said the information in those calls was shared and at no time did the facility report that the safety of its patients was at risk.
The search warrants do not reveal what was taken from the facility as a result of the investigation, only that due to the size and scope of the investigation, the search was ongoing.
CBS4's Carey Codd reached out to the son of one of the victims, asking him about the fact that police are investigating the resident's deaths as homicides. He said that, for him, it speaks to the level of neglect at the facility and how brutally these people were treated.
He said he is pleased to see in these search warrants the level of detail and accountability that Hollywood Police are seeking in this case.