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Nurse Suspected In Death Of Patient

June 29, 2005

A nurse convicted of murdering an elderly patient in Texas is a suspect in at least one death in Oregon, investigators say.

Jeannie M. Miata, 55, was convicted last month of murdering a 68-year-old Texas woman with a lethal dose of insulin.

Miata is also under investigation by Beaverton police for a suspicious death in 2000 at a long-term-care center that already has settled a wrongful-death lawsuit for $2.1 million.

Police also are checking other deaths at nursing homes or care centers.

"We are going to be looking at other locations and identify other patients that would be of concern," Beaverton police Detective Dan Kelly told The Oregonian.

According to reports, Miata had worked in nursing jobs in Gresham, Hillsboro, Portland, Beaverton and Oregon City for over 25 years.

When she fled Oregon in 2001, Miata was accused of stealing another nurse's identity and of using dozens of names and Social Security numbers to continue caring for the elderly despite a criminal record that includes stealing from patients.

The Texas case, which ended in a 99-year prison term, relied heavily on facts from the 2000 Oregon death.