A former hospice nurse in Wisconsin is facing felony charges for allegedly amputating a dying man’s foot without his consent or physicians’ approval. Mary Brown, 38, is charged with one count of elder abuse and one count of mayhem.
According to a criminal complaint, a Pierce County medical examiner alerted authorities in June after performing an autopsy on a 62-year-old man whose foot was not linked to his body but rather “laying alongside him.”
According to the complaint, the guy was placed in a nursing home in March 2022 after suffering frostbite and necrosis on both of his feet after falling in his own home while the heat was out. The complaint alleges that Brown, a nurse employed at the facility, amputated the man’s foot on May 27 in an effort to alleviate his pain and restore his “dignity.” According to Brown’s statements to investigators, she did so because she wished to end his suffering and restore his “dignity”
The complaint states, “Brown lacked a physician’s order to perform an amputation.” “She argued that she lacked the authority to amputate the victim’s foot. Brown amputated VICTIM’s foot without his permission. Administrators of the nursing home agreed that Brown’s practice did not include such a procedure and that a doctor’s order was required prior to any amputation.”
The complaint states that Brown indicated she would have wanted the man’s foot severed if she were in his position.
Kevin Larson, the administrator of the facility, told police that Brown had not been given permission to remove the foot, but that he believed a hospice physician would have allowed the practice if requested. The complaint stated that Larson originally instructed Brown to brace the man’s foot, which was only linked by a tendon, “since VICTIM was close to dying within hours.” “He indicated that VICTIM survived longer than anticipated and for a few days, and Brown believed that was the proper action to do.”
According to the complaint, Larson stated that when Brown later asked him what to do with the amputated meal, he assumed it had fallen off.
Brown and another nurse reported to the police that they did not believe the victim had any discomfort during the amputation. However, another nurse reported that when she asked the guy what occurred a few days after his foot was amputated, he “said that he felt everything and it was quite painful”
Several other nurses stated that Brown revealed her intention to have the foot taxidermied, and one nurse told investigators that Brown mentioned her family owned a taxidermy shop, according to the complaint. At least two nurses informed police that Brown intended to exhibit the foot with a message reminding them to “wear your boots.”
The complaint did not specify when the man died.
Each of the two charges against Brown carries a maximum prison term of 40 years.