Death Shift ~ The Tale of the Pediatric Murdering Nurse Genene Jones Part 1.

 

Hello everyone. Today, we will be writing about a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) named Genene Jones who worked in the San Antonio, Texas in the pediatric intensive care unit at Bexar  County Hospital (aka University Hospital of San Antonio).

Genene Jones was born July 13, 1950. As a young child, Genene was adopted by a nightclub owner and his wife. Genene Jones worked as a beautician right out of highschool. 

She married her highschool sweetheart, and had one child before things became too difficult and the two split.

Genene would work during the day and take nursing classes in the evenings. Three years after the divorce, Genene and her husband reconciled, having another child in 1977; before they parted for good. she would marry for a second time, but that was just before her indictment and she married a 19 year old nursing student; but the marriage was pretty much over, before the ink could even dry on the marriage license.

As forementioned, Genene Jones began working at Bexar County Hospital; while she was employed there in the Neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) or Pediatric Intensive care unit there seemed to be a statistically improbable number of children dying under her care. The hospital, at the time, wqas so fearful of getting sued that it asked all of its LVNs, (including Genene Jones), to resign and the hospital employed its pediatric ICU exclusively with registered nurses (RN). 

This was the hospital's resolution to avoid any further investigations or problems over all the deceased infants in their care.

Genene Jones willingly left her position and took a job at a pediatrician's clinic in Kerrville, Texas, (60 miles NW of San Antonio). 

It was here that she was charged with poisoning six children. 

The doctor in the office discovered there were 2 puncture marks in a bottle of succinylcholine (Suxamethonium chloride) in the drug storage area; the only two people who had access to that area wqas the doctor herself and Genene Jones.

Succinylcholine is a powerful short-acting paralytic that causes temporary paralysis of all skeletal muscles, as well as those that control breathing; the drug is used as a part of a general anesthetic. A patient cannot breathe while under the influence of this drug. In small children, cardiac arrest is the ultimate result of deoxygenation due to lack of respiration. 

Full bottles were found in the storage area, but upon further investigation, the contents of thoat bottle was later discovered to be Anectine, volume was five-sixth diluted with saline solution. Genene seemed to have the answer for everything, claiming she wqas trying to stimulate the creation of a pediatric intensive care unit in Kerrville; just like the one she worked in out in San Antonio.

To be continued....