60-year-old woman released without charge by police investigating three care home deaths

A 60-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the deaths of three elderly people at a Swanage care home from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning has been released without charge pending a police investigation.

Dorset Police said an investigation into the deaths of two men, aged 74 and 91, and an 86-year-old woman was ongoing and the deaths were still treated as “unexplained”.

Officers were called to Gainsborough Care Home at 7.16am on October 23 following a report of the unexplained deaths of three residents.

Police have since said carbon monoxide poisoning is being investigated as a possible cause.

A spokesman said: “An investigation is being carried out by Major Crime Investigation Team detectives and as part of initial inquiries into the deaths, a 60-year-old local woman has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

“Following further investigation, he was released from the investigation without any charges.

“The deaths of three residents (two men, aged 74 and 91, and an 86-year-old woman) are still treated as unexplained.”

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Third, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “The deceased and his relatives have been at the forefront of our minds throughout our investigation.

“We have been working with HM Coroner in recent weeks to determine the cause of death, continuing to gather as much information as possible.

“We made an arrest as part of our investigations while providing legal protection to the individual so that we could obtain a full account and gather the available evidence.

“The arrest was also made to establish where there was any act or omission by the individual in question that was believed to be grossly negligent and we have now reached a position where we no longer believe that to be the case.

“Our investigation is still ongoing and we await the results from detailed forensic presentations and analyzes that will help us determine the causes of the deaths, which may take several months.

“Families of the residents who unfortunately lost their lives are being kept informed of any developments related to the investigation.”