Jul 16, 2008 10:49 pm US/Pacific
Washcloth Stuffed In Hospitalized SF Woman's Mouth
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
San Francisco police said Wednesday they were investigating an incident where a woman who suffered life-threatening injuries was found in a hospital room at a California Pacific Medical Center facility with a washcloth stuffed in her mouth.
The woman, who remained hospitalized Wednesday evening in critical condition, was discovered Tuesday around 8 p.m. in a room at the CPMC complex at 3500 California Street in the city's Presidio Heights neighborhood, according to police.
CPMC spokesman Kevin McCormack told CBS 5 the woman was then rushed to the hospital's intensive unit at 2333 Buchanan Street for treatment.
Both SFPD and McCormack refused to elaborate on the circumstances of the woman's injuries.
Police were giving out very few details because they said they were at a "critical point in their investigation," said Deputy Chief David Shinn, who told reporters the victim is an Asian woman in her 60's. The case was being treated as a possible attempted homicide.
"There is a suspicious circumstance that had occurred involving an elderly woman," said Shinn. "We are investigating that to see if there's any criminal intent on anyone's part."
McCormack said federal regulations involving personal health information restricted what details the hospital could publicly release. He confirmed the victim was a CPMC patient, but said he was waiting to talk to her family before discussing it further.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
