“This is a heartbreaking example of how a careless dereliction of duty by a trusted care giver led to a woman’s death,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “Christina Sankey needed constant supervision, and her Individual Support Plan and companion care needs reflected that. Simply put, Hassanatu Wulu failed at her job and didn’t follow her training and emergency procedures, so Christina wandered out into the cold March weather in 2014 to die alone."
Wulu's employer, Casmir Care, has a written policy and procedure for situations in which a consumer leaves his or her assigned worker. The policy says staff need “to keep consumer in line of sight at all times” and “to keep consumer within arm length at all times, and in a crowded area to “hold onto the consumer’s hand/wrist” or shoulder. Wulu did not follow any of these policies, and instead of immediately notifying 911 that Sankey was missing, she waited an hour to reach out to police.
“[Christina's] death is a tragedy and my deepest condolences go out to the Sankey family," added DA Williams. "I’d also like to thank the Philadelphia Grand Jury for their hard work and recommendation of charges.”