EAST LANSING, Mich. — A woman learned her sentence after the death of an elderly woman in her care back in 2022.
Colleen Kelly O'Connor, a 58-year-old woman from East Lansing, was sentenced to two years of probation, the first six months of which will be spent in jail.
O'Connor was convicted in June by a jury in Clinton County of one count of vulnerable adult abuse in the second degree.
The victim, an 82-year-old woman, was in O'Connor's care at the Vista Springs Imperial Park at Timber Ridge, a Clinton County assisted living facility.
Early in the morning on December 23, 2022, the elderly woman walked outside without appropriate winter attire twice. There was a blizzard that day with single-digit temperatures, subzero windchill and blowing snow.
O'Connor observed the woman leave both times and did nothing to stop her.
A snowplow driver found her in the parking lot around 7 a.m., partially buried in snow. It's not known how long she was outside before she was found.
She was sent to the hospital but died shortly after arrival due to hypothermia.
“Caregivers bear immense responsibility, which is tragically neglected at times,” Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “The devastating consequences of this incident underscore the importance of vigilance and compassion in fulfilling that obligation.”
O'Connor was also ordered to pay $1,115 in restitution to the victim's daughter.
