Three women in North Carolina (USA) have been accused of organizing a boxing match for elderly residents with dementia at a nursing home, according to police and state health officials. Marilyn Mackey, Tonesha Tyson, and Taneshia Jordan face charges of abusing vulnerable individuals for allegedly inciting residents at Danby House in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to fight each other. An investigation, initiated by Winston-Salem police and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, began after a complaint was received. A report from the state's Health Services Division concluded that in June, Mackey, Tyson, and Jordan incited residents to fight, resulting in "one resident being choked until her face turned red... while staff members filmed the video and posted it on social media." According to a government report citing a video of the incident, one of the women was heard telling an elderly resident with dementia, who was arguing with another, "Hit her in her face." The report also stated that another employee was heard asking, "Are you recording?" and "Are you going to send it to me?". The report indicated that the women themselves sometimes resorted to physical violence with residents; a video clip shows one of them assaulting a resident while another films the incident. A spokesperson for Danby House stated that the three women were fired in June after the administration learned of the allegations. Additionally, extra training programs for staff and a stricter security screening process for all new and current employees at Danby have been implemented. Mackey, Tyson, and Jordan are scheduled to appear in court on November 14.
