A former Wisconsin hospice nurse illegally amputated the foot of a patient who was near death. She is now being charged with a felony.

Yahoo! reported that the dying patient under Mary K. Brown's care was admitted to the nursing home in March 2022 with severe frostbite on both feet. It was anticipated that he would die by the end of May.

"Brown had no medical orders to perform an amputation. She stated that she did not have permission to remove the victim's foot. Brown did not have the VICTIM's permission to amputate his foot," the criminal complaint read, according to Local Today.

It was also stated in the complaint that the nursing home administrators agreed it was beyond the reach of Brown's practice to perform amputation and that a doctor's order was required prior for such procedure.

Brown, 38, a former hospice nurse who is taking care of the victim at the Spring Valley Health and Rehab Center in Spring Valley, Wisconsin, was charged with physically abusing an elderly person, causing grievous bodily damage on purpose, and causing mayhem.

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Mary K. Brown, the Wisconsin Hospice Nurse Amputates Patient's Right Foot

Brown removed the dying patient's right foot, which was only supported by a small amount of skin and a few tendons, on May 27, without the doctor's or patient's permission or request.

According to US Today, Brown admitted to police investigators that she had surgically amputated the patient's foot for his comfort.  

A nurse who saw the incident said the patient tightly gripped her hand while moaning in pain throughout the procedure.

Another witness, a nurse, spoke to the patient after the operation and told her he felt everything while the nurse was cutting his foot.

Reports say that another nurse told police that the amputation was poorly done.

The nurse also stated that Brown said her family owned a taxidermy shop where she planned to keep the foot and put up a sign that said "Wear your boots, kids" next to it.

The CEO of Spring Valley Senior Living and Health Care Issued a Statement

Kevin Larson, administrator and chief executive officer of Spring Valley Senior Living and Health Care, stated that Brown is not an employee and issued the following statement:

"We have and will continue to fully cooperate in the investigation of this matter. The identified person is not employed in our community."

Brown, the former Wisconsin hospice nurse, is scheduled to make her initial appearance in court on December 6, WQOW reported.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if found guilty. A victim is an elderly person; thus, the maximum sentence might be up to six more years for each crime.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

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