Health worker accused of ignoring elderly man’s fall, leading to his death, police say: ‘He was old anyway’

25-year-old Beatrice Taylor faces a charge of aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person

• A Florida home health aide was arrested after an 86-year-old male patient died in her care

• Beatrice Taylor, 25, faces one count of aggravated involuntary manslaughter of an elderly person in connection with the death of the patient, who died Aug. 15 at his home in Winter Haven

• According to a news release from authorities, Taylor was also allegedly overheard on the phone by a paramedic who arrived at the home to respond to the incident saying, “He was old anyway, so what does it matter.”

A Florida home health aide was arrested after an 86-year-old male patient died while under her care.

Beatrice Taylor, 25, faces aggravated manslaughter of an elderly person in connection with the death of the patient, who died Aug. 15 at his home in Winter Haven, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

According to authorities, the victim’s family hired a home health company to care for the victim, who had been diagnosed with heart failure.

Taylor was assigned to care for the patient overnight in the house he shared with his wife. According to authorities, Taylor’s shift began at 9 p.m. local time and she “immediately” fell asleep on the living room couch, which was not allowed during her shift, the release said.

Authorities claimed Taylor woke up at 1 a.m. after hearing a “knock” coming from the patient’s bedroom.

Want to stay up to date with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

She allegedly checked on the older man and found him lying on the floor with his head stuck between the nightstand and the bed. However, when she tried to put him back to bed, he told her not to touch him, the statement said.

Authorities claim she left him on the floor and went back to sleep. When she got up around 4 a.m., she spoke to her parents for about 30 minutes before checking on the victim, the release said.

Authorities said they found him unresponsive on the floor. Her parents told her to call 911, but she allegedly hung up and called her employer before calling 911 around 5:30 a.m., the release said.

An autopsy later determined that the victim died of positional asphyxia with contributing factors of pre-existing health problems.

Authorities said an implanted pacemaker was found during the autopsy, and cardiac data later showed the victim was “still alive at 1 a.m. when Taylor first found him lying on the ground.”

“According to the medical examiner, if she had called 911 when the victim was first located, as required by her own company’s policy, the victim would not have died,” the release said.

Police said Taylor allegedly made several statements after her arrest, including claiming she “did not kill that man,” the release said.

Taylor was also reportedly overheard on the phone by a paramedic who arrived at the home and said, “He was old anyway, so what does it matter,” the press release states.

“The complete disregard for Mr. Anderson’s life by the person employed by his family is completely outrageous and outrageous,” said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd. “I believe that someone who was not even paid to care for this elderly man would have called 911 immediately under these circumstances. Her behavior and attitude are simply deplorable. Mr. Anderson’s family members are in our prayers.”

According to the sheriff’s office, Taylor was arrested on Thursday, September 26, and fired from her company following the incident. She is currently being held without bail.

An arraignment hearing is scheduled for October 29. It is unclear whether she has entered a plea at the time of publication. PEOPLE attempted to contact Taylor’s attorneys but could not reach them for comment.

For more people news, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.