A Connecticut home visit nurse was killed Oct. 28 in the home of a patient she was caring for and later discovered in the basement, the CT Mirror reported Nov. 1.
Joyce Grayson, LPN, 63, of Willimantic, Conn., was reported missing by a family member to the Willimantic Police Department after she missed several appointments. The family member reportedly was able to track her last location to the home of a patient she had been scheduled to visit at 8 a.m., ABC News reported.
A 38-year-old man lived at the home — a halfway house for convicted sex offenders, according to the CT Mirror — and had an ankle monitoring bracelet that showed signs of tampering, according to reports. He was arrested on charges not related to the death of Ms. Grayson.
Police have not yet formally identified a suspect, according to the news outlet.
"We are devastated to learn of the loss of a beloved nurse, Joyce Grayson, who was with Elara Caring for 15 years," a spokesperson for Elara Caring the Dallas-based home health service agency Ms. Grayson worked for, told Becker's. "Our hearts go out to Joyce's family and loved ones. The safety and wellbeing of our team members is our highest priority. We are providing counseling services for Elara team members impacted by this tragedy and will be fully cooperating with the authorities as their investigation continues."
Ms. Grayson had worked as a visiting nurse for more than a decade with Elara Caring, according to her obituary.
The Connecticut General Assembly recently passed a measure to increase protections for healthcare workers, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2024, but it does not extend to home visit care, according to the CT Mirror. Now state lawmakers are calling for passage of legislation that would extend protections to home healthcare workers.
"More and more care is going to be provided in a home setting, which is generally a good thing,” Martin Looney, president pro tem of the state senate told the CT Mirror. “But if that is true, we need to make sure that the people who are providing that care are safe.”