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34 Nursing Home Residents Drown; Owners Charged

September 14, 2005, 2005
The owners of St. Rita’s Nursing home in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, a New Orleans suburb, have been charged with the deaths of 34 residents who drowned in the facility. Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, Jr., has charged the husband and wife owners with negligent homicide.

Foti said owners Salvador A. Mangano and his wife, Mable, were asked if they wanted to evacuate their patients as Hurricane Katrina approached. They reportedly declined.

As the flood water receded, the scope of the disaster at St. Rita’s became clear. Rescuers on the scene found the bodies, as well as evidence of the frantic efforts many made to try to stem the fast-rising flood.

“This is a horrific tragedy and this story is one of the worst that I have heard. I am deeply saddened to learn of the fate of so many elderly citizens. I will investigate this case fully as well as others across the state,” Foti said.

“I want answers. I want to know why those people were trapped and were not evacuated.”

After authorities announced they were looking for the Manganos, the couple surrendered to authorities Tuesday. They were jailed on 34 counts of negligent homicide. Each count carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

The case is the first major prosecution to come out of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Foti said his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is handling the investigation, and is also currently visiting nursing homes throughout the state to check the health and medical status of displaced residents.

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