Union Printers Home set to be vacated by Friday after death investigation
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The beleaguered Union Printers Home, which is facing multiple state investigations and criticism after a woman froze to death outside last month, is finally set to be vacated by Friday.
A spokesperson with the Colorado Department of Health and Environment confirmed to KRDO that the last three people in the home were scheduled to move out Friday. The facility is in south Colorado Springs.
This is after KRDO broke the story that 89-year-old Margarita Sam was found dead on a bench outside of the home on the morning of Feb. 3. An autopsy report confirmed that she froze to death, and residents tell KRDO that staffers didn't check on her after she went outside to cool down following an argument.
The home is now facing a lawsuit in the wake of Sam's death, and the state health department ordered Union Printers Home to effectively be shut down after pulling its license to operate.
Health Department District Director Randy Kuykendall said the owners of Union Printers Home, Valor Health Network/Heart Living Centers, were fully cooperative with the investigation. They also assisted with finding residents new homes, and they estimated last month that the last residents would be moved by March 27.
It's not clear where the residents were relocated, but we know that residents were expected to be split among several different assisted living facilities. A spokesperson with the health department said organizers did the bed count locally and were confident that there were enough beds in the local area for all residents.
At this point, the case is not a criminal investigation. However, Colorado Springs police say investigators are looking into that possibility.
“Our detectives with the crimes against at-risk adults are really looking into this incident," Natashia Kerr with CSPD told KRDO earlier this month. "They're investigating the circumstances around this death and if there are any potential criminal charges.”
The health department says the most stringent punishment that they have is to have the license revoked and the facility shut down.
