CHARLESTON, W. Virginia –
Two staff members at a northern West Virginia long-term care facility have been charged in the death of a patient who was abandoned in a bathtub of boiling water 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 24-hour care, was immersed in 134-degree Fahrenheit (56.7 Celsius) water for 47 minutes on Jan. 4, 2024, at Hopemont Hospital, a 98-bed facility in the Terra Alta community of Preston County. Hedrick died a week later in a Pittsburgh hospital, according to the statement.
An investigation by Morrisey’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit determined that Beard helped Hedrick into the bathtub but did not check the water temperature gauge. Hedrick suffered second and third degree burns and blisters on his feet and legs.
Investigators said Clyburn-Hill was told about the burns and blisters but allegedly failed to implement appropriate treatment and therapy for Hedrick’s injuries, “including, but not limited to, the use of pain medication,” the statement said.
It was not immediately known if Clyburn-Hill or Beard had attorneys who could comment on the charge. A message left at a Clyburn-Hill phone number was not immediately returned Wednesday. Beard could not be reached directly for comment. Could not find a working phone number for her.
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 will be sworn in as governor next week, called it a “very disturbing case” and said “there needs to be accountability for the horrific death of the victim, Mr. Larry Hedrick, who was supposed to be in the care of medical professionals.”
