Nursing home residents horrified by murder accusations against employee

Residents of nursing home Huys te Hoecke in Puttershoek, municipality Binnenmaas, were horrified by the news that an employee of the nursing home was arrested for murdering one of their neighbors. "It is really bizarre. This could have happened to one of us", a 75-year-old resident said to newspaper AD.

On Monday the Public Prosecutor announced that a 21-year-old man from Rotterdam was arrested on suspicion of murdering an elderly woman in a Puttershoek nursing home, and attempting to murder two others - one in Puttershoek, one in Rotterdam. According to the Prosecutor, he killed the elderly woman by administering insulin without medical necessity. 

A number of Huys te Hoecke residents think they know who the perpetrator is, but refused to tell AD - out of fear, according to the newspaper. Or because they "don't know for sure" and do not want to ruin someone's reputation unnecessarily. "You don't assume that something like that can happen in your own environment. If that is the case, you start thinking about situations that you experienced yourself. That really gives you chills", a 73-year-old resident said to the newspaper.

News of the arrest hit other Huis te Hoecke employees like a bomb, Nico de Pijper, director of the Zorgwaard foundation that covers the nursing home, said to RTV Rijmond. "People are very shocked." According to him, employees realized that something was wrong when the killed resident suddenly fell ill. The police were called in when the hospital determined that the woman had been give insulin without medical necessity. "The alertness of employees and doctors prevented worse from happening. I am very grateful that they responded so quickly", De Pijper said to the broadcaster. 

De Pijper could not comment on the case itself, because the investigation is still ongoing. "But this is a day we will not soon forget. I've never experienced anything like this in my career."

Mayor Andre Borgdorff of Binnenmaas called the arrest "terrible", AD reports. According to him, the case has a major impact on the community and the municipality is keeping a close eye on reactions from the nursing home. An information evening may soon be arranged, but so far it did not seem necessary.