DETROIT, MICHIGAN: The family of a Detroit nurse has sued a hospital for failing to ensure her safety after she was tragically found dead in her car trunk. According to reports, Patrice Wilson, 29, was allegedly abducted by her ex-boyfriend, Jamere Miller, 36, around 7:40 am on Saturday, May 13, in the parking lot of the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) Detroit Receiving Hospital. Later in the afternoon, police discovered Wilson's body, with gunshot wounds, in the trunk of her car.
In response to the devastating incident, Wilson's family is taking legal action against the hospital, claiming that they did not adequately protect her and ensure her security during and after her shift. The lawsuit aims to address the circumstances that led to this tragic loss and to seek accountability from the hospital for the alleged negligence in safeguarding their employee.
Who was Patrice Wilson?
Patrice Wilson was a 29-year-old registered nurse who worked at the Detroit Medical Center. She was also a devoted mother to her 7-year-old son. Tragically, she lost her life after being abducted and found dead in the trunk of her car. She was described as a dedicated and hardworking mother whose untimely death sent shockwaves through the close-knit nursing community in Detroit. "She was a very genuine person, smart and intelligent, kind loving and caring," her sister Destiny Livingston, told Fox News. "It's unbelievable she's not here."
"It's heartbreaking to know that the DMC didn't keep her safe," said Rosalind Livingston, Wilson's mother. On what would have been Wilson's 30th birthday, her family gathered to seek justice and compensation for her tragic death. They are pursuing a $200 million lawsuit against Tenet Healthcare and the DMC, holding them responsible for their alleged role in Wilson's abduction and untimely passing. "It's a murder that could have been prevented if DMC did what they should have been doing to protect Patrice and the other nurses down there," attorney Michael Fortner said.
Patrice Wilson's family believes race influenced the authorities' response time
The family believes that healthcare personnel did not do their job properly when they saw Jamere Miller, her ex-boyfriend and alleged abductor, behaving suspiciously in the parking lot. They feel security should have intervened to protect her. They also pointed out a lack of security measures and broken cameras as reasons for alleging negligence. "The system failed her. If (security) would have been on duty, they would have come out to question why he was standing around. They heard the shot, why didn’t nobody come out," Pamela Golden, Wilson's grandmother asked. "Policies must change. It’s not going to bring Patrice back, but maybe it can help someone else."
The family also thinks that race played a role in how quickly authorities responded to the situation. "We feel had she been one of them white nurses down there, they'd announce it immediately," he said. "Instead they waited three or four hours is my understanding, to tell anybody including the family after they were notified she'd been kidnapped."
However, DMC released a statement, saying their security team responded promptly and informed the police immediately. "The DMC stands behind our security team, who acted swiftly to notify and engage local law enforcement to apprehend the assailant," the DMC said. "We continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement as they prosecute this individual for the crime committed. We cannot comment on pending litigation."
