An 85-year-old nursing home resident apparently wandered outside the home, fell, and died this week. Her body was found in front of the nursing home by staff around 6 a.m. Wednesday. 

Police are investigating, but do not suspect foul play, because there was a four-hour time gap between when the woman's body was found by nursing home staff, and the time it took staff to call police.

"The question always arises, cops are suspicious people, why did it take you four hours to call the police?" said the police chief.

"The time difference and then finding a body outside one of the residence and bringing it back inside and cleaning it up and all this, to police is very suspicious," said the chief. "To people who run nursing homes, that's standard practice."

To family members, it's troubling.

According to police, the woman suffered from dementia. She apparently wandered outside and fell outside the nursing home.

"She fell on her face," the police chief said. He said she was unable to get up after the fall.

There are still several unanswered questions in this case. "Now, how she got out there, what procedures were not followed or what other things may be wrong, that's all still under investigation," he said.  For more, read the story.

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Robert W. Carter, Jr. is a Virginia attorney whose law practice is dedicated to protecting the rights of the victims of nursing home and assisted living neglect and abuse in Richmond, Roanoke, Norfolk, Lynchburg, Danville, Charlottesville, and across Virginia.