East Lansing caregiver sentenced for role in freezing death of elderly woman

East Lansing caregiver sentenced for role in freezing death of elderly woman
OIG press release; 9/17/24
Colleen Kelly O’Connor, 58, of East Lansing, was sentenced to two years of probation with the first 6-months in jail by Judge Cori E. Barkman of the 29th Circuit Court in Clinton County for her role in the death of an 82-year-old woman in December 2022, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. O’Conner was convicted in June by a Clinton County jury of one count of Vulnerable Adult Abuse — Second Degree. The victim, who was under O’Connor’s care at Vista Springs Imperial Park at Timber Ridge, an assisted living facility in Clinton County, died of exposure after being left unsupervised. O’Connor was also ordered to pay $1,115.00 in restitution to the daughter of the victim... During the very early morning hours of December 23, 2022, O’Connor twice observed the victim attempt to go outside without appropriate attire into a blizzard with single-digit temperatures, subzero windchill, and blowing and drifting snow. As a caregiver, O’Connor recklessly failed to act to prevent the victim from going outdoors into the storm, resulting in her death. A snowplow driver found the victim in the parking lot around 7 a.m., partially buried in snow.