The family of a woman who froze to death two years ago are suing the senior care center where she lived for failing to prevent her death.
Lynne Stewart, 77, lived in the dementia care wing of Courtyard Estates at Hawthorne Crossing in Bondurant prior to Jan. 21, 2022, when workers found her unconscious outside a locked door in freezing conditions. Suffering severe hypothermia, she was rushed to a hospital, where she died.
Subsequent investigations found Stewart had exited the building about 9:30 the previous night, but her absence was not noticed for more than eight hours despite multiple alarm systems meant to detect wandering residents. State inspectors cited the facility for numerous breaches of safety regulations, resulting in a $10,000 fine.
The worker in charge of the memory care unit the night Stewart died, who was supposed to check on her every hour, was charged with murder and later pleaded guilty to dependent abuse. Another worker, who was responsible for the facility’s assisted living unit that night, was later fired but has filed a lawsuit alleging that she did nothing wrong and that the company has scapegoated Black employees for the negligence of white workers and managers.