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Grandmother’s body in hospital emergency room parking lot for three days before being discovered

‘Somebody dropped the ball and I want answers,’ says daughter-in-law Kandra Garcia

James Crump
Friday 28 August 2020 23:09 BST
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A Colorado woman’s body was found inside of her car in a hospital emergency room parking lot, three days after she had died.

Yvette Mooney of Denver, Colorado, was discovered dead inside her vehicle by police officers on 23 August in the emergency room (ER) car park of the Swedish Medical Centre in Englewood, an area of the city.

The 50-year-old, who had several grandchildren, had driven to the hospital on 20 August, but her daughter-in-law Kandra Garcia told WKRN that “she couldn’t make it inside”.

Ms Garcia added: “She thought, ‘I’m in an ER parking lot. They will find me — somebody will come.’ Not three days later when she’s blistered and too decomposed for us to have a proper burial.”

Ms Mooney’s daughter-in-law said that she had driven to the hospital on 20 August to visit a family friend and to pray with them.

However, after Ms Mooney did not pick up any calls from the family later in the week, they called the police, who were able to find her dead inside her car at the hospital on 23 August.

The authorities told WKRN that Ms Mooney’s cause of death has yet to be determined by the coroner’s office, and added that they have requested surveillance footage from the hospital.

The windows on Ms Mooney’s car were tinted, and the police suggested that this would have made it difficult for people to realise that the 50-year-old was inside, according to the Daily Mail.

In a statement to KDVR, the hospital said: “We offer sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the family and loved ones.

“Upon discovery of the event we immediately notified the Englewood Police Department and have worked closely with them throughout the ongoing investigation.”

Ms Garcia said that “somebody dropped the ball and I want answers,” and added that security should be asked to check cars, as “there should never be an unattended death.”

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