Police say imprisoned former Texas nurse Genene Jones may be responsible for the deaths of up to 60 children in the 1980s.
Bear County District Attorney Nico LaHood announced a murder charge against Jones May 26 in San Antonio and said additional charges may be coming after re-examining the unexplained deaths of dozens of children during the time Jones worked as a nurse.
Jones, 66, has been serving 99-year and 60-year sentences for the 1982 murder of 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan and the sickening of another child.
Jones was found to have injected McClellan with a large dose of muscle relaxant and injected the other child with blood thinner. She was set to be released next March.
But LaHood’s announcement that Jones has been charged for the 1981 death of 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer will change that release date. LaHood said the charge is based on the introduction of new evidence and a review of existing evidence.
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The Case Against Genene Jones
Sawyer died of an overdose of the anti-seizure drug Dilantin. His death is one of many where children suffered from unexplained seizures and other medical complications, reports the Associated Press.
During that time Jones worked at multiple hospitals and medical clinics in San Antonio and other parts of Texas. Many of the infant deaths occurred during or immediately after Jones’ shifts.
A prosecutor said investigations into those deaths were set back by the accidental destruction of medical records at the San Antonio hospital where Jones primarily worked.
“She’s been suspected in dozens of infant deaths and she’s only been held accountable for one,” LaHood said.
Prosecutors in the McClellan case alleged that Jones administered the fatal injections in an attempt to show the need for a pediatric intensive care unit at a local hospital.
The television movie Angel of Death is based off of Jones’ alleged crimes.
Jones will be held on $1 million bond during the Sawyer case and faces up to 99 additional years in prison.
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