A former Texas nurse was indicted May 25 for the death of a baby in 1981. Prosecutors speculate that the nurse, who was convicted and sentenced to prison for the 1982 death of another toddler, may have been involved in the deaths of up to 60 additional children during the 1980s, according to an Associated Press reported published by the Chicago Tribune.
A San Antonio grand jury indicted Genene Jones for the 1981 murder of 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer, Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood said during a press conference Thursday, according to the report. The court placed Ms. Jones' bond at $1 million.
A blood sample taken shortly before the child's death in 1981 revealed he had a "toxic level" of Dilantin, an anti-seizure drug, in his system, according to the report.
Ms. Jones, now 66, is currently serving concurrent 99-year and 60-year sentences for the death of 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan in 1982, and for injuring a four-week-old boy around the same time, according to the Associated Press. Ms. Jones was supposed to give the baby girl routine shots, but laboratory testing confirmed the baby girl had instead been injected with succinylcholine, a muscle relaxant, according to a ProPublica report.
Investigators think that Ms. Jones may have been involved in the deaths of up to 60 additional children because "they died under unusual circumstances during or shortly after her shifts," at various health facilities in Texas, according to the Associated Press.
Ms. Jones was scheduled to be released in March 2018 under a state mandatory release law that was in effect when she was convicted in 1982. Mr. LaHood said during the press conference that Ms. Jones will not be eligible for the death penalty if she is convicted of killing Joshua Sawyer because the death penalty did not exist in Texas in 1981, according to the Associated Press.
To read the full ProPublica report, click here.
To read the full Associated Press report, click here.