CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Family members of an 89-year-old veteran who died at the Clarksburg VA Hospital in January 2018 have learned more information about his death and there are similarities to at least six other suspicious deaths at the facility.
According to Charleston attorney Tony O’Dell, who represents some of the families, the veteran was admitted to ICU at the Clarksburg hospital in January 2018. After showing some improvement, he was moved to floor 3A.
“It’s the night shift and he suffers a severe hypoglycemic event. The person of interest is all through his records. In fact, I believe she was as one-on-one sitter with him that night,” O’Dell said Friday on MetroNews “Talkline.”
The veteran was not a diabetic. O’Dell said his blood glucose level dropped to 27. He died a few days later.
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The original cause of death was listed as a bleeding stroke but when reviewing the death investigators wanted to take another look. O’Dell said the body was exhumed last September and the cause of death was changed to undetermined. O’Dell believes insulin injections caused the man’s death like it has the other six veterans.
“The government knows, we know and the family knows the cause of death was a severe hypoglycemic event. The only thing that kept them from calling it a homicide was the inability to find the actual injection marks,” O’Dell said, adding the body had significantly decomposed before it was exhumed.
Meanwhile, several of the families of the veterans connected to the suspicious deaths are becoming more and more frustrated, according to O’Dell.
Tony O’dell talks with @HoppyKercheval about new details in regards to the victims of suspicious deaths at the Clarksburg VA. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/LM7BAZyBUL
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) January 24, 2020
“It’s disturbing that we’re 19 months-post beginning of the investigation and really the only information that’s been provided is the information we’ve been able to gather ourselves. It is disturbing,” O’Dell said.
Federal prosecutors and the VA’s Office of Inspector General are continuing their investigations. O’Dell said there’s been a total lack of information.
“There’s nothing coming from the government on what the status is. We are we in terms of either the criminal investigation or the investigation into the hospital?”
The family of the 7th victim does not want the man identified.
“The family is very upset. They’ve been very upset from the beginning. This is a shock. I can tell you the families are becoming very agitated,” O’Dell said.
It’s been reported the person of interest initially was transferred to a desk job, and then was fired after a few months. She was accused of falsely claiming on her resume that she was certified as a nursing assistant.