Family questions nursing home’s response after 93-year-old found dead in cold

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - The family of a 93-year-old woman who died after wandering away from a Connecticut nursing home in freezing temperatures is questioning the facility’s response and whether proper procedures were followed.

Margaret Healey, a former Catholic school teacher and nun, was found unresponsive outside the Bickford Health Care Center on Main Street in Windsor Locks early Sunday morning after leaving the facility in her pajamas and sneakers.

Police said Healey was reported missing around 4:45 a.m. Sunday. She was found face down in a snow bank in the facility’s driveway, where investigators believe she may have fallen.

Clare Kindall, Healey’s niece, said the family has significant concerns about how the situation was handled.

“As a family, we are all grieving about this,” Kindall said. “Obviously, we have some pretty significant concerns. It was bitterly cold that night. It was below 0 degrees without wind chill. She was out in her pajamas and sneakers. Ten or 15 minutes, she’s in hypothermia. We have a lot of questions.”

Windsor Locks police Lt. Paul Cherniak said staff brought Healey inside and attempted to warm her with blankets before calling for medical help.

“It appears that they brought her in from the outdoors when she was outside face down in the snow bank, and they began warming techniques with blankets, trying to bring her body temperature back up,” Cherniak said. “She did not make it, unfortunately, and by the time we were called, there was a pronouncement at 6:46.”

Law enforcement said the nursing home waited almost two hours after Healey was discovered missing before calling police. Kindall said police told her staff did not call for an ambulance until after they brought her aunt inside and tried to resuscitate her.

“We don’t want to point fingers as to wrongdoing. We don’t know if that’s the case. We are still in the middle of it all. But in a case like that, for future reference—and for your viewers certainly—you would call EMS and police as fast as you can," Cherniak said.

“We’re hoping she didn’t suffer. It just adds to your pain,” Kindall said. “There’s two big questions. Call the ambulance right away.”

Healey had been living at Bickford for the past two years and had a history of wandering due to her mental condition. She was wearing an alert device designed to activate when residents exit doorways without authorization, but questions remain about whether it was working properly.

“She has an ankle bracelet, and at least when I would take her out to lunch or something, the alarm would go off. So, my experience was the ankle bracelet worked,” said Kindall. “I don’t know if there were subsequent problems with the system, but my personal experience was that it worked.”

Police said she was able to leave the facility without anyone seeing her.

“Due to various factors present, (age, extreme cold weather, and overall medical health condition) the cause of death is currently undetermined,” according to a preliminary police report.

The medical examiner’s office will determine the official cause of death.

Records show Medicare currently rates Bickford Health Care Center as a one-star facility. During its most recent health inspection in April 2024, the facility received 24 citations. In November, a complaint investigation found the facility failed to maintain safe water temperatures, with water hot enough to cause potential burn injuries.

The Department of Public Health said it was informed of the death over the weekend.

“DPH was informed over the weekend of the death of a resident at the Bickford Health Care Center,” the department said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to her family and friends. DPH is prohibited from disclosing or discussing the existence of an investigation until any such investigation is closed and findings are issued.”

Bickford Health Care Center did not respond to requests for comment.