Massapequa home health aide arrested for stabbing patient, police say

Amanda Fraser was charged with attempted second-degree murder in connection to the Long Island elder abuse case. CBS News New York's Jennifer McLogan reports.  

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Massapequa home health aide arrested for stabbing patient, police say 

Massapequa home health aide arrested for stabbing 84-year-old patient, Long Island police say

By Mark Prussin, Jennifer McLogan

A home health care aide from New York City is under arrest for allegedly stabbing and critically injuring an 84-year-old patient at her home on Long Island. 

Amanda Fraser was charged with attempted second-degree murder in connection to the elder abuse case in Massapequa, Nassau County Police said Thursday. 

CBS News New York confirmed the 23-year-old suspect from Queens worked out of Aides At Home. Managers in the senior and elder care provider's Hicksville office said the stabbing was a tragedy and an isolated incident.

"The investigation is ongoing. We're cooperating fully," a manager said. 

Fraser was hospitalized after her arrest to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, sources told CBS News New York. She will be arraigned when medically practical. 

The victim, identified as Wendy Wilson, remains hospitalized in critical condition. Her son said she underwent surgery and was expected to survive. Her 85th birthday is in November.   

Home health aide charged with stabbing patient in bed

The stabbing happened Wednesday at Wilson's home on Bay Drive and Merrick Road.

According to Wilson's son, Fraser, her overnight home health aide, was seen on surveillance video getting into her bed and stabbing her. She allegedly tried to drive away, but crashed in the driveway and ran away. 

Another aide, arriving for the morning shift, discovered blood and a knife on the floor, then found Wilson stabbed in the chest in her bed, her son said. 

Wilson's neighbors and others in the community were left shocked and full of sorrow after the attack.  

"She had dementia and her daytime helper would sit out on the lawn with her, and she wouldn't speak at all," one person said. 

"I think we can all relate to it. I think we all need help, assistance with people, and really just hope that she makes it," said another. 

While police were on the scene searching for the suspect, Massapequa High School and Birch Lane Elementary School were placed under a secure lockdown for about 90 minutes as a precaution.

We reached out to the New York State Health Department, which oversees Aides at Home. They said there have been no enforcement actions in the last 10 years.   

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Massapequa home health aide arrested for stabbing 84-year-old patient, Long Island police say

Woman arrested for spending dying patient's money in Charlotte County

A home health aide is accused of taking advantage of a woman who recently died. Investigators say the aide stole a bedridden woman’s credit card, gave it to three children and racked up hundreds of dollars in charges.

Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested Kimberley Diggins after she took three children to a Walmart and told them to use money she stole from her patient to buy electronics.

The patient’s husband noticed charges on the credit card and called deputies. That’s when they checked surveillance video and traced everything back to Diggins.

The patient’s husband hired Diggins to help at home to care for his wife in her last hours, as she was dying of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Instead of helping the patient, deputies say Diggins stole from her.

“That’s abuse, elderly abuse, and that’s against our nurses oath,” said Cynthia Williams, a home health nurse.

Williams says the actions Diggins is accused of are heartbreaking to learn about.

“We are supposed to protect the patients,” Williams aid. “Then again comes the oath, ‘Do no harm,’ and she obviously did harm.”

After taking the patient’s credit card, deputies say Diggins drove three children to Walmart, and they bought $715 in electronics with the stolen card.

“You don’t steal,” Williams said. “That’s just, from any human being, you don’t steal from anyone, especially an elderly person.”

The arrest report says Diggins told the children, “The people it belonged to would not be around much longer and won’t miss it.”

“That’s horrifying. It’s horrible,” Williams said. “They’ve worked all their lives for their money, and most of the elderly people these days, they don’t have a lot.”

Rich Kolko, WINK News Safety & Security Specialist, says there are precautions people should take to protect themselves if there strangers in their homes for any reason.

“Go ahead and put your valuables away,” Kolko said. “No reason to leave them out in the open for maybe just a crime of opportunity.”

The patient who Diggins is accused of stealing from died a few days after the theft. Diggins was a home health aide for Brightstar Care. The owner told law enforcement officers she started at the company in August. I reached out to BrightStar Care for comment and to see if she was fired. I’m still waiting to hear back.

Williams just wants people to know that Diggins does not reflect other hardworking home health aides who pour their hearts into caring for their patients.

“We are not representative of that,” Williams said. “We are good-hearted people.”

 

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Woman arrested for spending dying patient's money in Charlotte County