Aug 07, 2020

Woman charged with manslaughter of Ann Marie Smith

 

A 68-year-old Adelaide woman has been arrested and charged with the manslaughter of Ann Marie Smith. She will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today.

Ms Smith died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital on 6 April 2020 in tragic circumstances. 

She was admitted with severe ulcerated and infected tissue, and other serious illnesses that developed while she was being cared for in her own home.

It is alleged Ms Smith died of serious criminal neglect and that her death was preventable.

Major Crime Investigation Branch, Detective Superintendent Des Bray said a team of 17 police have been working “tirelessly” on an investigation of all aspects of Ms Smith’s care.

“We have built a picture of Annie’s life since the death of her parents in 2009. 

“She led an active and outgoing life from 2009-2018 but in the past two years she became more socially isolated and her quality of life deteriorated,” he said.

Detective Bray said their investigation has seen strong support from the community.

“Cooperation from the public providing information to this investigation has been outstanding, with 74 calls to Crime Stoppers,” he said.

There remains an ongoing coronial inquiry into the cause and circumstances of Ms Smith’s death, and what could or should have been done to prevent it.

A financial investigation is also ongoing.

Anyone with information about Ms Smith can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

“It is important that everyone assists the investigation to ensure we can build a comprehensive report for the Coroner so we can ensure this never happens again,” said Detective Bray.

Image: Crime Stoppers South Australia.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

PJs to dinner? That’s okay if it’s a choice

  If a resident wishes to come to dinner in their night clothes, they are well within their rights to do so. However, a HelloCare reader is concerned that staff cuts at the aged care facility where they work are forcing busy care workers to make the decision on the resident’s behalf, because it saves... Read More

Inconsistent government regulations are fuelling COVID outbreaks in aged care

When aged care provider, RFBI, realised that they had a COVID outbreak on their hands, conflicting health advice between state and federal health authorities became more of a problem than a solution. Read More

Virtual Coffee with Sharyn Broer | Chief Executive Officer

To celebrate Meals on Wheels Day, this week we had virtual coffee with Sharyn Broer, CEO Meals on Wheels SA and President, Meals on Wheels Australia. She talked about delivering more than 10 million meals each year, getting out and about on the road and the opportunites she sees for aged care in the future. All over an almond milk chai latte. Read More
Advertisement