A South Carolina woman is suspected of letting a 17-year-old diabetic girl in her care to drink a milkshake, resulting in her death, according to investigators.
Shirl Lee Sweeny, 50, faces charges of improper conduct involving a kid who died in August 2022, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The teen was diagnosed with diabetes in June 2021. However, she refused to attend follow-up appointments despite medical officials informing Sweeny that the girl required insulin, according to an affidavit.
Sweeny, who was in charge of the teen’s welfare, allegedly failed to take her to her medical visits for more than a year and did not provide her insulin.
In September 2021, the teen was admitted to the hospital for high blood pressure. Sweeny, the girl’s guardian, was informed that the teen’s insulin use was “not optional.”
The teen began vomiting on August 12, 2022, but was not sent to the hospital, despite medical officials having previously advised her that vomiting is an indication of diabetic ketoacidosis. Sweeny contacted 911 the next day, reporting that the girl had been found on the restroom floor.
A dispatcher overheard her on the phone stating, “I knew she shouldn’t have had that milkshake,” according to investigators. The teen was sent to the hospital for severe weight loss and elevated blood glucose levels. She later died. Her death was attributed to hyperosmolar ketoacidosis caused by diabetes and was ruled a homicide.
Sweeny was charged with the teen’s death because she put her at “unreasonable risk of harm, that affected her life, physical health, and safety,” according to authorities.
Reference:
South Carolina woman charged with death of diabetic teen after giving her milkshake, authorities say