A registered nurse, and former employee of Hope Hospice, is under arrest after detectives say she gave a lethal supply of drugs to another woman. Tenee Goldsberry is charged with manslaughter.

On July 12, 2009, at approximately 2:27 am, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call in reference to an unresponsive female found on the floor of her residence. Deputies responded to 2904 Bruce Avenue South, Lehigh Acres. The victim, 34-year-old Abbie F. Crawford, was rushed to the hospital where she later died. The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be acute morphine toxicity. Due to the nature of the incident, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit opened an investigation.

The two month investigation revealed that Goldsberry was working at Hope Hospice in Cape Coral on July 11, 2009. That night, the victim visited Goldsberry, and Goldsberry supplied her with the unauthorized medications and the means to inject them. The victim was an acquaintance of Goldsberry and not a patient of Hope Hospice. Evidence shows the victim injected the drugs supplied by Goldsberry and was dead within a few hours.

Hope Hospice was made aware of the incident shortly after the sheriff’s office learned that Goldsberry took the medications from their business which resulted in the death of the victim. Hope Hospice fully cooperated with the investigation. Goldsberry had not been in contact with patients or associated with patient care since Hope Hospice was notified of the investigation.

Arrested: Tenee Goldsberry, also known as Tenee Mondragon, DOB 1-7-84, of 701 NW 17th Place, Cape Coral, charged with Manslaughter.

Source: Lee County Sheriff’s office