Texas – A Texas woman was arrested in Tennessee last week and charged with multiple counts, including aggravated neglect of an elderly or vulnerable adult and neglect of a vulnerable adult, after leaving vulnerable adults unattended in a bus she was driving between Texas and Virginia.
According to Tennessee authorities, the woman spent the night in hotels after leaving the unidentified vulnerable adults.
The investigation began last week, when officers responded to a medical emergency at a location in Tennessee. There, they discovered a yellow bus pulling a trailer with three live animals (goats). Inside the bus were five adults with intellectual disabilities and one with dementia.
The passengers were living in deplorable conditions, without running water or food, wearing filthy clothes, and exhibiting signs of malnutrition. One passenger had suffered a critical injury the day before but had not received medical attention. All six people were taken to a hospital, where one later died.
Bernise, a 61-year-old woman from Texas who was identified as the caregiver, told Tennessee authorities that she had been staying in hotels overnight, leaving the vulnerable adults alone on the bus. The bus lacked basic necessities, and the passengers were discovered in an environment described as “uninhabitable and inhumane.”
Following her arrest, she was initially held on $80,000 bond, which was later raised to $250,000.
According to court documents, the elderly woman has prior experience in caregiving, having co-owned a business with her ex-husband that provided care for mentally and physically disabled people.
This case has raised serious concerns about the oversight and regulation of caregivers working with vulnerable populations. Tennessee authorities are still investigating the circumstances of the incident.
