Wisconsin nurse cut off man’s foot without consent, wanted to display it, court files say

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A nurse is accused of amputating a patient’s foot without permission and talking about displaying it like a warning, according to Wisconsin court documents.

Mary Brown of Durand, Wis., is charged with physical abuse of an elder person — intentionally causing great bodily harm as well as mayhem, Pierce County court records filed Nov. 3 show.

The 38-year-old worked as a hospice nurse at the Spring Valley Health and Rehab Center, TV station KSTP reported.

One patient under her care was a man suffering from necrosis to his feet caused by frostbite, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the station. He was checked into the facility in March, but by the end of May, the man was close to death, officials said.

On May 27, Brown allegedly cut off the man’s right foot, the complaint said, WQOW reported. Much of the flesh was dead, but the foot was still attached by skin and several tendons.

Another nurse in the room clutched the man’s hand while Brown went to work, she told investigators, according to WQOW. He squeezed tight, moaning throughout the procedure.

When the amputation was finished, Brown talked to fellow nurses about using the foot for a display at her family’s taxidermy shop, complete with a sign that would read “wear your boots, kids,” the station reported.

Brown did not have any permission or authorization from a doctor to cut off the patient’s foot, nor consent from the patient himself, investigators said, KTSP reported.

She told police she was acting in the patient’s best interest and wanted to make him more comfortable.

The Spring Valley Health and Rehab Center told news outlets that it was cooperating with investigators and that the suspect “is not employed with our community.”

Brown is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 6 at the Pierce County Courthouse.

— Mitchell Willetts, The Charlotte Observer