Spokane caretaker charged for giving woman lethal amount of vinegar
SPOKANE, Wash. — Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed charges against a Spokane caretaker accused of giving a 64-year-old woman a lethal amount of vinegar.
According to charging documents, Fikirte Asegad was taking care of the woman and was instructed to administer a prep solution for her colonoscopy. The prep involved her drinking large quantities of the solution during two periods, one in the evening and the second around 3 a.m.
The charging documents allege that instead of the second dose of prep solution, Asegad gave the woman a large quantity of cleaning vinegar and she died several hours later.
A complaint was filed and Residential Care Services launched an investigation. They found that half of the prepared colonoscopy solution was found in the refrigerator and the empty bottle of cleaning vinegar was found in a recycle bin outside the following morning.
In an interview with investigators, Aseged said she read the label on the bottle the first time she administered the solution, but “assumed it was the same” the second time.
“I just grabbed the bottle, I was rushing,” she said.
Aseged is charged with third-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
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