Elderly Woman Mistaken For Dead by Police
Many elderly individuals choose to live alone despite persistent health complications. This can be dangerous and can cause death or serious injury if they are unable to contact authorities or medical aid. In Fairfield, Maine 89-year-old Ruth Shillinglaw Johnson was found laying on her bathroom floor after a neighbor called authorities about her absence.
According to the police report, when the police arrived on the scene they noticed “a decomposition smell” coming from the house and when they found Johnson they concluded that she had died. She then remained on the bathroom floor for an additional three hours, until a funeral service worker heard her take a breath and saw her arm move. Johnson was rushed to the Hospice at Chesapeake, according to State Anatomy Board officials, and died 15 days after county police found her. It is unknown what measures the police officers took in order to determine that Johnson was dead.
Although Johnson suffered from serious medical problems prior to this incident, it is still disturbing that the police officers were not inclined to being more thorough in their assessment of her death. It is possible that if the police officers had reported the incident to medical officials, Johnson’s health would not have been as compromised. It is also possible that Johnson was under some type of home care system that ensures having someone checking in on her, and they may have failed to perform that service.
