Elderly patient accused of beating woman to death in hospital released from custody

Police and prosecutors in Den Bosch have decided against arraigning an 81-year-old woman suspected of assaulting another elderly woman at a hospital who died from her injuries. Both women were patients at the Jeroen Bosch Hospital in the Noord-Brabant city when the incident happened early Thursday morning.

For the time being, the woman will not remain in police custody. "She remains a suspect in the case. She is suspected of assault, resulting in death. It is not necessary for the investigation that she remain incarcerated," police said.

The 81-year-old from Heusden got into a scuffle with the 78-year-old victim from Vught. The victim was in her bed when the older patient entered her room. The two women fought, and the victim fell to the ground. "The 78-year-old woman was later found to have died," police said.

The cause and manner of death is still under investigation. The autopsy was scheduled for late Friday afternoon.

While the suspect was in custody, she remained under medical care due to her health situation. Authorities refused to release details about the suspect's medical history.