Robert Keller - True Crime: Medical Monsters Volume 2: Nurses and Doctors Who Kill

The Kearsley Home, at Christ Church Hospital in Philadelphia, is the oldest nursing home in the United States. Established in 1762, this specialist facility caters to some 60 elderly ladies, each of whom is accommodated in her own apartment. It is an extremely well-run facility, staffed by competent and caring personnel. It is hardly the sort of place where you would expect to find a serial killer. And yet, in the first half of 1983, just such a creature stalked the hallowed halls, leaving a trail of death in his wake. By the time he was caught, six frail women, ranging in age from 83 to 92, would be dead, brutally raped and suffocated in their beds.

The first sign of anything amiss came on January 21, 1983. At 92 years of age, Margaret Eckard was the oldest resident at the home. Yet despite her advanced years, she was an active and alert individual, much loved by everyone because of her sunny personality. It was somewhat of a surprise then, when she failed to show up for breakfast on that Friday morning.

A nurse was dispatched to Mrs. Eckards room and found her lying unmoving on her bed. She immediately called for a doctor, who confirmed that Mrs. Eckard was dead. A subsequent examination revealed some worrying signs, including a bruise to the dead woman's face and blood in her mouth and nose. There were also streaks of blood in the vagina. Despite these findings, the doctor concluded that Mrs. Eckard had died of natural causes and attributed her death to a heart attack. It was a mistake that would have tragic consequences for five other residents of the home.

Three weeks after Margaret Eckard's death, there was another at Kearsley. Like the previous victim, 85-year-old Katherine Maxwell was first flagged as missing when she failed to join her companions at breakfast. A nurse was sent to check on her and found her lifeless body lying on her bed. Blood was again noticed around the genital area, this time seeping out to stain the dead womans pajamas. This, however, was attributed to natural causes.

March 27, 1983, was the 86th birthday of Elizabeth Monroe, another resident at the home. She had spent the day with friends, eating cake and visiting late into the evening. The following morning a nurse found her dead in her apartment, with inexplicable traces of blood on the body.

This time, the doctor who did the initial examination was concerned about the presence of blood. But the Philadelphia medical examiner dragged his feet about initiating an investigation. By the time things got rolling, Elizabeth Monroe's body had already been embalmed, destroying any evidence. The death was recorded as natural.

Eighty-nine-year-old Lillie Amlie was one of the Kearsley Homes most outgoing residents. The octogenarian was still socially active and even had a boyfriend who visited her regularly from another residential home. On June 1, Lillie was found immersed in a few inches of water in her bathtub, dressed only in a pair of stockings. There was a quantity of blood in the water but it was theorized that she had suffered a heart attack while preparing her bath and had fallen in. The investigation went no further than that.

A little over a month later, on July 5, 75-year-old Abbie Mortimer was found dead in her apartment. Her private physician was summoned immediately and carried out a postmortem examination but had no reason to suspect anything other than a natural death.

Then, on July 19, there was a double tragedy at the nursing home. Ninety-year-old Eugenia Borda had only been living at Kearsley for a month when she was found dead in her apartment. Blood was noted around her nose, mouth and vagina and this time, the examining physician refused to sign the death certificate, certain that Mrs. Borda had been the victim of foul play.

Those suspicions were firmed up just a few hours later when another elderly resident of the Kearsley Home was found dead. Seventy-two-year-old Mildred Alston lived right across the hall from Eugenia Borda. She was found lying on her bed, her panties discarded beside the body, suggesting that she might have been raped.