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The 71-year-old woman's body was emaciated and covered in untreated bedsores when it was found in a Chester county home, Attorney General Michelle Henry said.
Kaci Nightingale, the victim's daughter, and Richard Nightingale, the victim's husband, have been charged with felony neglect of a care-dependent person, Henry said.
The victim, who died of a stroke, was found dead in her home on West Lincoln Highway in Parkesburg, on July 20, 2021, Henry said. She was nude, covered by a blanket on a mattress without a bed frame, and her body was in deplorable condition.
An autopsy found numerous severe bedsores, which occur when a bed-bound patient is not repositioned regularly. One of the bedsores was so severe and deep that it exposed bone, Henry said. There were no signs that the bedsores received medical attention.
Both Nightingales lived with the victim at the time of the offenses. Kaci was employed as a Personal Care Attendant (PCA) funded through Medicaid to take care of her ailing mother who suffered from dementia, was non-verbal, and could not get out of bed on her own. Richard told investigators he was a primary caregiver.
Kaci Nightingale, 38, of Coatesville, is charged with Neglect of a Care-Dependent Person, Medicaid Fraud, and related offenses. Richard Nightingale, 76, of Coatesville, is charged with Neglect of a Care-Dependent Person.
Both defendants surrendered on July 7 at a magisterial district court. They were arraigned and bail was set for each at $150,000 unsecured bond.
“The facts of this case are extremely disturbing. For a woman in need of care to be callously neglected by her own family is hard to fathom,” Henry said.
“This crime is additionally troubling because one of the defendants was paid with public funds to provide the care her mother so desperately needed and deserved, but was ultimately denied.
"The defendants were responsible for caring for their vulnerable mother and wife, and they continuously ignored that duty.”
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