An assisted living home worker killed a patient with a lethal dose of vinegar instead of meds, prosecutors say

A patient at a now-closed assisted living facility in Washington died after being given vinegar instead of medication, and now a worker faces criminal charges, according to The Spokesman-Review.

Fikirte “FiFi” T. Aseged, 43, was charged with third-degree assault and reckless endangerment on June 15, according to The Spokesman-Review.

Aseged worked at Aacres, an assisted living facility in Spokane, Washington, that is now closed. She was fired on April 19, 2019, The Spokesman-Review reported.

Aseged allegedly gave Marion K. Wilson, 64, a developmentally disabled patient, household cleaning vinegar instead of a bowel preparation solution she was supposed to take to ready for her colonoscopy the next day.

The suspect gave Wilson the vinegar around 3 a.m., and the victim died around 10:15 a.m. at Providence Holy Family Hospital while waiting for her colonoscopy, according to The Spokesman-Review.

According to court documents, Wilson suffered irreversible tissue death and inflammation of the esophagus, stomach and small bowel after ingesting the vinegar.

At the time, Aseged told investigators she had not read the directions for the colonoscopy medication, which were written on the whiteboard in Wilson’s unit, according to The Spokesman-Review. However, she said she read written directions from the doctor.

“Normally it’s used for notice...and most of the time we look at it,” Aseged told investigators about the whiteboard directions. She also reportedly said, “I don’t know how we missed that day. Nobody told me the directions were on the board.”

Aseged told investigators she read the label on the colonoscopy preparation solution before giving Wilson her first dose, but she did not for the 3 a.m. dose, assuming it was the same bottle, according to The Spokesman-Review.

“I just grabbed the bottle,” she told investigators. “I was rushing.”

The colonoscopy medication was found in a refrigerator and the vinegar bottle was tossed in a nearby recycling bin, according to the Spokesman-Review

After Aseged was fired, state investigators determined the victim's death may have been the result of neglect. The facility did not immediately report that negligence may have been a factor Wilson's death, according to officials.