West Virginia care facility staff members charged in death of patient left in scalding hot bathtub

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two staff members at a northern West Virginia long-term care facility have been charged in the death of a patient who was left in a scalding hot bathtub a year ago, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday.

Registered nurse Delilah Clyburn-Hill and certified nursing assistant Kylah Beard were charged with felony neglect of an incapacitated adult by a caregiver, Morrisey said in a news release.

Larry Hedrick, 61, a nonverbal patient who required around-the-clock care, was submerged in the 134-degree Fahrenheit (56.7 Celsius) water for 47 minutes on Jan. 4, 2024, at Hopemont Hospital, a 98-bed facility in the Preston County community of Terra Alta. Hedrick died a week later at a Pittsburgh hospital, the statement says.

An investigation by Morrisey’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit determined Beard helped Hedrick into the tub but failed to check the water temperature gauge. Hedrick suffered second- and third-degree burns and blisters to his feet and legs.

Investigators said Clyburn-Hill was told about the burns and blisters but she allegedly failed to implement appropriate treatment and therapy for Hedrick’s injuries, “including but not limited to the use of pain medication,” the statement says.

It wasn’t immediately known whether Clyburn-Hill or Beard had attorneys who could comment on the charge. A message left at a listed phone number for Clyburn-Hill wasn’t immediately returned Wednesday. Beard could not be directly reached for comment. A working phone number for her could not be found.

Preston County Prosecutor Jay Shay approved the criminal charges. Clyburn-Hill and Beard are scheduled for an initial appearance in Preston County Magistrate Court on Jan. 29.

Morrisey, who is being sworn in as governor next week, called it a “very disturbing case,” saying “there needs to be accountability for the horrific death of the victim, Mr. Larry Hedrick, who was supposed to be under the care of medical professionals.”