A resident at Ruleville Nursing & Rehab was apparently killed by his roommate during the early morning hours on May 24.
Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton told The Enterprise-Tocsin that a 64-year-old male was apparently suffocated by his roommate.
An ambulance was called to the facility at 3:45 a.m., she said, and the victim was pronounced dead at 4:12 a.m. Burton said that she arrived at 5:01 a.m. and confirmed that the victim was deceased.
The E-T has elected not to identify the victim or the alleged killer until further information is provided. Burton did say that both residents apparently had been transferred to the facility from the Mississippi State Hospital in Meridian. Neither person appeared to have been from Sunflower County, she said.
The alleged assailant was apparently not arrested on the scene. The E-T did reach out and left a message with the Ruleville Police Department for more information on the case. We had not heard back from RPD by press time.
An attorney representing Ruleville Nursing & Rehab did respond to email questions about the incident and offered the following statement:
“Out of respect for the privacy of its residents, Ruleville does not discuss with third parties the care and health status of those it serves. Ruleville strives to provide Loving Excellence in Senior Care to its residnets. Speaking generally, Ruleville conducts regular in-service education regarding resident-to-resident altercations and how to prevent and de-escalate such situations. Ruleville also has procedures in place for screening residents prior to admission to determine whether a resident is appropriate for nursing home placement.”
