Michigan caregiver sentenced after 82-year-old froze to death
CLINTON COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Michigan woman received her sentence Monday after an 82-year-old woman froze to death while under her care.
Colleen Kelly O’Connor, 58, of East Lansing, was sentenced to two years of probation, with the first six months to be served in jail. She was also ordered to pay $1,115 in restitution to the daughter of the victim.
According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, O'Connor was caring for an 82-year-old woman at Vista Springs Imperial Park at Timber Ridge, an assisted living facility in Clinton County, on Dec. 23, 2022. Twice, O'Connor watched the elderly woman try to go outside early that day, when there was a blizzard, single-digit temperatures, and below-zero wind chills. Despite being her caregiver, O'Connor did not stop the woman from going out into the cold without appropriate clothing, the AG's office said.
The woman was partially buried by snow in the parking lot by a snowplow driver around 7 a.m. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died of hypothermia. It isn't known how long she was outside before her body was found.
O'Connor was found guilty of second-degree vulnerable adult abuse earlier this year.
"Caregivers bear immense responsibility, which is tragically neglected at times," Nessel said. "The devastating consequences of this incident underscore the importance of vigilance and compassion in fulfilling that obligation."