A caregiver indicted and placed in pre-trial detention for poisoning and stealing jewelry from nursing home residents in Menton

A caregiver was indicted and placed in pre-trial detention for having stolen jewelry while administering dangerous substances to elderly people in nursing homes in Menton (Alpes-Maritimes), the Nice prosecutor's office announced on Wednesday October 14, reporting a death possibly linked to the case. Aged 53 and already convicted in 2019 for theft to the detriment of the elderly, the healthcare professional was indicted on October 10 for "administration of a harmful substance", "administration of a harmful substance leading to death without the intention of giving it to a vulnerable person", and "theft facilitated by the state of a vulnerable person aggravated by another circumstance", specifies the Nice prosecutor's office in a press release.

The case began at the end of September, after the hospitalization “due to an abnormal state of drowsiness” of a resident of a nursing home in the Menton region. “Analyzes revealed the taking of a medication that was not part of her treatment. Similar facts were noted the same day concerning another resident, with the observation the following day of the disappearance of jewelry,” notes the Nice prosecutor, Damien Martinelli.

The caregiver was arrested on October 8, the press release said. At her home, investigators found “a certain number of jewelry and products likely to correspond to those” administered to the residents. The accused admitted "having administered substances to residents and having committed thefts but contested any homicidal intent", underlines the prosecution. This caregiver justified her actions "in particular by the need to finance her drug consumption", according to the same source.