Police say a nurse named Nathan Sutherland is the man who raped a care home patient in a vegetative state and got her pregnant.
Nathan Sutherland has been arrested and accused of the rape of a woman who was said to have been in a vegetative state at the Hacienda Healthcare facility in Arizona. Sutherland, 36, is a licensed practical nurse who had been assigned to care for the woman, 29, who gave birth.
Police were able to recognize the rapist identity after he submitted a DNA sample that linked him to the case.
Phoenix PD spokesman, Sergeant Tommy Thompson, said that cops worked ‘tirelessly’ to process court-ordered DNA samples following last month’s surprise birth at Hacienda HealthCare in the Arizona city.
This week, the victim’s family dispelled rumors that the woman was in a coma. ‘The victim’s parents would like to make clear that their daughter is not in a coma. She has significant intellectual disabilities as a result of seizures very early in her childhood,’ said a statement from the family’s attorney.
Speaking at a press conference, Sgt. Tommy Thompson said: "We may not know how many times this occurred.
“We can't always choose the way we come into this life, but this community can choose to love this baby. I’m told the baby is fine.”
Hacienda officials said male employees are now required to have a female employee with them before entering a female patient's room.
Sutherland is being held at the Maricopa County Jail on sexual assault and vulnerable adult abuse charges.
