Caretaker of dying COVID-19 patient steals her ring and credit cards, CO officials say
A Colorado woman was charged with theft of an at-risk senior after allegedly pawning a dying coronavirus patient’s engagement ring and stealing her credit card, the Denver District Attorney said.
Elizabeth Daniels, a 29-year-old from Aurora, Colorado, was providing care to an 86-year-old woman, who died of COVID-19, according to a news release from the Denver DA.
Daniels allegedly stole and pawned her patient’s diamond engagement ring days before her death, according to the DA. Daniels also is accused of stealing the woman’s credit card, which was used to make purchases on the same day she died, the news release said.
“As (her) family was making arrangements with the funeral home, they became aware of the alleged theft and reported it to the Denver Police Department,” the news release said. “Detectives assigned to investigate secured the arrest affidavit for Daniels the same day.”
Daniels was hired at Carillon at Belleview Station, a senior living center in Denver, as a temporary employee because the center was “experiencing a high number of COVID-19 cases,” according to The Denver Post. The center has 30 confirmed coronavirus cases and six resident deaths as of April 22, according to the news outlet.
The patient’s daughter-in-law told police that she noticed transactions on several credit cards after her mother-in-law had died, according to The Denver Channel. Among the charges was a $200 credit card charge from an auto shop, where an employee confirmed Daniels had made the charge, the news outlet reported.
A pawn shop also identified Daniels as the person who pawned the ring, The Denver Channel reported.
Daniels was charged with theft from an at-risk person, identity theft, providing a false statement to a pawnbroker and criminal possession of a financial transaction device, according to the Denver District Attorney.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Caretaker of dying COVID-19 patient steals her ring and credit cards, CO officials say."