Abuse Suspected in Suspicious California Nursing Home Death - UPDATE
We have been following the investigation into the suspicious death of Elmore Kittower while a resident at Silverado Senior Living in our previous blog entries. Elmore Kittower died from a blood clot in his lung, but an autopsy report also indicated that "blunt force trauma" factored into his death. His body was covered in bruises and he had unexplained partially healed rib fractures. Nursing home employee Cesar Ulloa was arrested after an extensive investigation into the death of Mr. Kittower. Authorities exhumed Mr. Kittower's body after a whistleblower told authorities that Mr. Kittower was beaten mere minutes before his death.
The investigation has now expanded to include the alleged abuse of three more helpless residents at the facility. A seventy-eight year old woman was violently awakened when an employee began "jumping on her chest". When the resident tried to protect herself, the employee "picked her up WWF style and slammed her onto the bed". The elderly woman, who suffers from a brain condition that left her unable to speak, became withdrawn and didn't want people touching her, even family members. Her son said, "She started to act like a wounded animal. But when she finally found out who you were, she didn't want to let you go."
Ulloa is also accused of abusing two other vulnerable nursing home residents with dementia and early stage Alzheimer's.
Authorities are still searching for the whistleblower in this tragic situation. Ulloa has pled not guilty to four counts of elder abuse and one count of torture.
