Nursing Home Resident, 84, Died on Christmas Eve After Being Left Alone in the Cold for 10 Hours: Reports

An 84-year-old woman reportedly died on Christmas Eve after she remained outside her nursing home in Ohio because nurses thought she had left in the care of her brother.

On Dec. 24, Alvera Meuti, of Warrensville Heights, went missing for over 10 hours from the Avenue at Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center, per local station WOIO.

She was later discovered lying on her back on an outdoor patio, according to the Warrensville Heights Police Department (WHPD), reported WOIO.

Meuti was pronounced dead at 8:57 a.m. local time the same day after she had been taken to South Pointe Hospital, the outlet added.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner confirmed to PEOPLE on Friday, Jan. 10 that she died from "environmental exposure with hypothermia."

WKYC stated that Meuti had last been seen in her room by a nurse at approximately 8:40 p.m. local time on Dec. 23, with the staff member telling police she "seemed normal" while sitting in her wheelchair and talking, per the outlet.

When another nurse went to check on Meuti at 9:30 p.m. that day, she wasn't in her room. The staff member in question reportedly told police that she assumed that she had "left the facility with her brother," the publication reported.

The nurse also stated that she had unsuccessfully called Meuti's brother multiple times at 12:36 a.m. on Christmas Eve, and told police that she was “a new nurse and was not sure what to do after that,” per WOIO.

After the staff member told a co-worker around 6:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve, a "code purple" — which is when hospital rooms and outside the building are checked — was sent out, police stated, according to the outlet.

The woman's brother then reportedly responded to the calls and told police that he'd visited her around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, and she'd said she wanted to leave the facility. He added that she wasn't able to do so at the time because she was unable to properly walk, per WOIO.

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WJW reported that police had been called to the facility at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 24 and found the woman "outside in a corner of the patio." She was unresponsive and taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

“We are sorry for death of the resident and have expressed our condolences to the family," Avenue Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center said in a statement, per WJW. "This continues to be an active investigation and therefore we are unable to comment further at this time,”

Officials at the home reportedly told police that nurses are required to check on patients every two hours, per WKYC. Meuti had been under the facility's care since being transferred from Cleveland Clinic — Marymount Hospital to receive physical therapy on Dec. 18, the outlet added.

Avenue Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center and the Warrensville Heights Police Department didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment.

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