PHOENIX - The Hacienda Healthcare board of directors confirmed Sunday it has hired former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley to lead an internal investigation into the facility two weeks after a woman in a vegetative state gave birth.
The woman, who has been at the facility more than a decade, gave birth at the facility Dec. 29 when the staff had “no idea” she was pregnant, according to one staffer on the initial 911 call, which was released Friday. Phoenix police opened up a sexual assault investigation shortly after.
Hacienda Healthcare CEO Bill Timmons resigned last week.
Hacienda Healthcare said last week it wanted to DNA test its employees and consulted with a legal team who said the facility could not make employees take the tests.
As Phoenix PD continues to investigate the suspected sexual assault, investigators served a search warrant on Tuesday for those tests, the facility said.
The woman's family retained a lawyer, who released a statement Tuesday saying that the family is "outraged, traumatized and in shock by the abuse and neglect of their daughter at Hacienda Healthcare," and is not emotionally ready to speak publicly about the matter.
The lawyer also said in the statement that the family asked him to convey that the baby boy has been born into a loving family and will be well cared for.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe released a statement Tuesday saying the 29-year-old woman, who 12 News is choosing not to identify, is a member of the tribe.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich called the incident disgusting on Monday.
"I think it's just absolutely abhorrent that someone in a vegetative state got pregnant," Brnovich said. "Obviously there was a sexual assault there."
Brnovich said his office could get involved, but for now, he is leaving the case in the hands of local law enforcement.
Hacienda Healthcare said it will continue to cooperate fully with Phoenix Police and other agencies investigating.
Romley, 70, was in office from 1989 to 2005 as county attorney.
Below is the full statement from the Hacienda Board.
The Board, leadership and employees of Hacienda HealthCare remain fully committed to determining exactly what happened to a patient entrusted to our care. To ensure a comprehensive, objective and transparent review of the facts of this deeply disturbing matter, the Board has hired respected former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley to lead an exhaustive internal review.
Mr. Romley will have unfettered access to every facet of Hacienda’s business - including all the records related to this matter and all the operational procedures related to the ICF-ID unit. We will do everything we can to aid this review and, once it is complete, to make sure this unprecedented situation never, ever happens again.
Additionally, we will continue to cooperate fully with the Phoenix Police and the agencies investigating this matter. As an organization, our top priority is to quickly identify the perpetrator and to make sure that person is brought to justice.