New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez described the treatment a 38-year-old, developmentally disabled woman endured before her death at the hands of her caregivers as "torture," saying the caregivers were paid thousands of dollars a month as part of a program to offer an alternative to institutional care.
According to an Associated Press report, the woman died weeks after being found in the back of a van as the caregivers tried to take her to Mexico for treatment.
“The abuse and neglect that she endured was horrific and the injuries she sustained are among the worst I have seen in my career as a prosecutor," Torrez told the AP. "This was torture. There’s really no other word for it.”
Three people were arrested and charged May 17 with abuse and neglect, following an investigation that started with a traffic stop near the border in February.
Charges were filed against Angelita Rene Chacon, 52, and Patricia Hurtado, 42, both of Rio Rancho. They face charges including abuse or neglect of a resident resulting in death, false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment.
Luz Scott, 53, of Clovis, who is an acquaintance of the women, was charged with false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, AP reported. Daniel Lindsey, who was listed as Scott's attorney, didn't immediately return messages sent to him, and court records didn’t indicate whether Chacon and Hurtado had attorneys.
The three were scheduled to make their first court appearances on May 19, according to the AP report.
The case has spurred a statewide review of New Mexico’s waiver system for workers who care for developmentally disabled adults. Social workers spent weeks conducting individual wellness checks on thousands of disabled people who receive care through the federally funded waiver program, which uncovered more allegations of possible abuse and neglect. Following the review, the state health department canceled contracts with four providers in the Albuquerque area.