MCKEESPORT, Pa. — It has been more than two months since former Pittsburgh Steelers player Sam Davis was found dead inside a local personal care home.
Davis was reported missing in September and found hours later dead inside the New Life Personal Care Home in McKeesport.
The state of Pennsylvania just finished an investigation into the personal care home, but Davis’ family still wants answers.
“Thanksgiving was hard, I can’t even pretend like it wasn’t,” said Vanessa Davis, the victim’s daughter. “Literally just waiting is all I can say. We ask, we wait and then we ask again.”
The only information the Davis family really has is how he died. Investigators said it was a massive heart attack.
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According to the violation report from the state’s investigation, an annual medical evaluation was not timely and a medication administration was missing information.
However, the inspection report makes no mention of all the time that passed before Davis’ body was found inside the facility. He was reported missing at 6:50 a.m., but he wasn’t found until about 14 hours later.
Channel 11 asked the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services if the personal care home would be held accountable for negligence since Davis was in there for so long before being found.
Below is the full statement provided by that department:
"The Wolf Administration is committed to the ongoing work of building and supporting high-quality systems of long-term care that serve older Pennsylvanians and individuals with disabilities. In its role as the licensing authority for personal care homes in Pennsylvania, the Department of Human Services (DHS) investigates complaints and serious incidents reported to have occurred at licensed facilities entrusted to provide care to vulnerable Pennsylvanians. The department also conducts annual inspections and interim inspections at each licensed personal care home, measuring compliance with Chapter 2600 (relating to personal care homes) regulations. If the department identifies regulatory violations during any type of inspection, the facility is required to write and implement an acceptable plan to correct each violation on a long-term basis. The plan of correction is monitored by the department to ensure the facility has come into compliance. When appropriate, the department takes licensing action to hold licensed providers accountable. These actions can include revoking a facility’s license to operate. When deciding whether to take action against a facility’s license, the department considers the risk to residents and the home’s willingness and ability to maintain compliance with the regulations, among other factors.
In September, the Department of Human Services conducted on-site inspections following the death of a resident of the New Life Personal Care Home in McKeesport. Violations cited as a result of those inspections are reflected in the document attached.
The regulatory investigation included interviews of all 14 residents and multiple staff members of the personal care home; interviews with family members of the deceased resident; a review of the deceased resident's medical documentation and support plan; a review of the deceased resident's official certificate of death; and a review of police documentation.
The department also reviewed the personal care home's response to the discovery that the resident had gone missing. Having reviewed all available evidence, the department did not find reason to cite the personal care home for neglect as defined under our regulatory authority.
DHS will continue to monitor this facility for compliance with Chapter 2600 regulations."
— Department of Human Services
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