Report: Center where comatose woman had baby probed in 2016
Posted January 13, 2019 10:59 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PHOENIX — State regulators reportedly wanted to remove developmentally disabled patients from a Phoenix long-term care facility years before a woman in a vegetative state gave birth.
The Arizona Republic newspaper reported Sunday that Hacienda HealthCare faced a 2016 criminal investigation.
Arizona authorities accused the facility of billing about $4 million in bogus 2014 charges for wages, transportation, housekeeping, maintenance and supplies.
The criminal case was dropped in 2017 and no charges were filed. A court battle is continuing to force Hacienda to turn over financial records.
Phoenix police have said the 29-year-old woman incapacitated since age 3 was sexually assaulted and gave birth last month.
Investigators are collecting DNA from Hacienda’s male employees and others who may have had contact with her in their effort to identify a suspect.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
The Associated Press
