For the first time since apatient in a vegetative statefor more than a decade at an Arizona-basednursing facilitygavebirth on Dec. 29, the Phoenix Police Department has revealed new details about what led to a sexual assault investigation.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Sgt. Tommy Thompson disclosed how authorities discovered that a 29-year-old Native American woman gave birth to a child at Hacienda HealthCare.
The mother, who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade after a near-drowning, was “unable to move [and] unable to communicate, in other words, she was helpless and incapacitated,” according to Thompson.
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“As far as I know it was a natural birth,” he said.
When asked if the mother had a full-term pregnancy, Thompson said “[she] was quite a ways along.”
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“She was not in a position to give consent,” Thompson said of the mother, calling her a “helpless victim who was sexually assaulted.”
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The statement said the company welcomed the move to investigate what it called “this deeply disturbing but unprecedented situation.” In the announcement, the company confirmed that Phoenix police had served a search warrant “to obtain DNA from male Hacienda HealthCare staffers.”
“We had consulted attorneys to determine whether it would be legal for our company to compel our employees to undergo DNA testing conducted through Hacienda or for Hacienda to conduct voluntary genetic testing of staffers,” the statement said. “We were told it would be a violation of federal law in either instance.”
Thompson revealed that police have obtained buccal swabs to collect DNA samples. “We’re looking first to find out who is responsible for this,” he said, adding that they are collecting swabs from a “very wide scope.”
Thompson also confirmed that authorities and investigators are asking the public to help identify a suspect in the sexual assault case.
Anyone with information, call 602-534-2121. Or to remain anonymous, call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
source: people.com
