Nurse remanded over suspected double murder

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A young nurse was remanded for further proceedings in Tampere on Sunday, after the District Court of Turku had found probable cause to believe that she had murdered two patients at a rehabilitation facility for the mentally handicapped in the municipality of Ylöjärvi, near Tampere.
     
The 26-year-old nurse, a resident in the town of Nokia, is suspected of having poisoned a 54-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman in her care at the Ylinen Rehabilitation Centre in Ylöjärvi.
      The nurse had been working at the facility only for four weeks before the crimes were discovered. The man died on July 26th and the woman on August 5th.
      Detective Inspector Paavo Tuominen from the Tampere division of the National Bureau of Investigation, who is heading the police investigation, is not willing to report on how the authorities found out about the matter.
      The representatives of the Ylinen rehabilitation centre also did not wish to comment on the deaths.
      In addition to possible murder charges, the 26-year-old nurse is suspected of aggravated assault and attempted murder. The alleged assault occurred in Kuru at the end of July, while the attempted murder is believed to have taken place in Ylöjärvi at the beginning of August. She denies the offences.
     
The suspect is a trained nurse, and after making enquiries about her previous employment, the police have found no evidence of previous irregularities. However, the woman has no previous experience with rehabilitation facilities for the mentally handicapped.
      The Ylinen Rehabilitation Centre is owned by the joint municipal authority for social services in Pirkanmaa, the Tampere region. The 300-bed facility offers long- and short-term special care services for the mentally handicapped and their families.
      According to the police, the investigation will take several months. If the prosecutor then finds sufficient evidence he or she has to decide whether or not to bring charges in the matter before a court.
      The woman will be kept under pre-trial detention in Tampere at least for two weeks and is likely be transferred to Hämeenlinna if her detention continues.


Links:
  Ylinen Rehabilitation Centre
  National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)

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