It's a growing problem in Washington: kids with developmental disabilities and complex behaviors who are stuck in the hospital with no reason for being there. Usually, they end up in the hospital after a crisis or an incident. But once the child is medically cleared to leave, their parents or their group home won't come get them citing inadequate supports to manage the youth's needs. While the state searches for alternative placements, the child waits.
In late September, an autistic, non-verbal 13-year-old boy was brought to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. His name was Matthew. He wasn’t
Originally published on June 15, 2021 4:00 pm
A former caregiver for people with developmental disabilities has been criminally charged in connection with the 2019 death of a client who ingested a large amount of household cleaning vinegar.
Fikirte T. Aseged, 43, is charged in Spokane County Superior Court with third-degree assault, a felony, and reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor.
The Attorney General’s office announced the charges Tuesday following a nearly two-year investigation.
Aseged is accused of giving the client, 64-year-old Marion Wilson, the vinegar in lieu of colonoscopy prep solution. Wilson died after she began having trouble breathing while at the doctor’s office. The medical examiner later found the vinegar had inflamed and killed the tissue in Wilson’s esophagus, stomach and small bowel, resulting in her death.