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Family: Workers Sleeping As Mom Dies In Assisted Living Home

Posted: 6:34 pm EST February 13, 2008Updated: 7:25 pm EST February 13, 2008

Police have charged a care-giver with changing her story in the death of a woman in Walton County.

They say that Jessica Jones made false statements while they investigated the death of Mary Ann Gower. Gower was an Alzheimers patient and was found dead in her bed at the Southern Plantation Assisted Living Center last month.

Gower's death certificate indicates her death was accidental, but Loganville Police are continuing to investigate the case after evidence they found at the assisted living center. Meanwhile, Gower's family says they're speaking out for their mother and for seniors everywhere. They tell Channel 2 aides were sleeping, not checking on patients.

"If they just would've been doing their job, she would be with us now," Mary Ann Gower's daughter-in-law Debie Gower said.

"She had rolled off and her head was between the sidebar of the rail and the mattress," Mary Ann Gower's son Mike Gower stated.

He said the staff told him they found his mother on the floor and she was still breathing when they put her back in the bed at 5:30 a.m. They say when they went back into her room a hour later, she had passed away.

Detectives reviewed pictures from security cameras from inside the facility.

"Showing four of the five attendants that were on duty asleep and the one that was taking care of mom was asleep from I believe it was just after midnight or one o'clock until sometime right after six so there was no way they found her at 5:30," Mike Gower told Channel 2.

Loganville Police interviewed the staff, including Jessica Jones. She was arrested for making false statements to police.

"She told investigators that they made checks every 30 minutes which we found to be not true," Chief Michael McHugh of the Loganville Police Department said.

"Mom was a wonderful and precious lady and she didn't deserve to be treated this way," said Debie Gower.

Jones bonded out of jail but police say they are now discussing with the district attorney's office the possibility of other charges and charging other workers if warranted.

Southern Plantation Retirement did issue a statement to Channel 2 saying, "Based on this review, Southern Plantation will take any action deemed necessary to ensure that residents remain safe." "Such action may extend to personnel changes, additional staff training and a review of policies that affect resident safety."

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