By LEANORA MINAI, Times Staff Writer Published March 30, 2004 CLEARWATER - Terri Schiavo was being examined Monday night in the Morton Plant-Mease Hospital emergency room after workers at her nursing home discovered "fresh puncture wounds" on her arms.
George Felos, the attorney representing Schiavo's husband, Michael, said the wounds appeared to have been caused by a hypodermic needle. A purple needle cap was found in Schiavo's gown, he said.
The puncture marks were discovered Monday at Park Place assisted living home after a 45-minute visit by her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, Felos said.
"It appears that someone was either trying to inject Terri Schiavo with something or withdraw fluids from her," Felos said.
Terri Schiavo's father, Bob Schindler, said late Monday he was disgusted by such innuendo. Schindler told WTSP-Ch. 10 he was at the hospice Monday afternoon and said nothing was wrong with his daughter when he left.
He said he did not insert a needle into his daughter's arms. Clearwater police were investigating the incident after Schiavo's husband called them to the nursing home Monday.
Terri Schiavo was undergoing blood tests and other toxicology screenings Monday night at the hospital. No charges were filed.
"Our posture right now is we have to wait and see what the hospital says," said Wayne Shelor, Clearwater police spokesman.
Schiavo collapsed on Feb. 25, 1990, from a suspected chemical imbalance that some doctors think was related to bulimia. She has remained in a vegetative state, but feedings have kept her alive.
Her husband and parents have been battling in court over her fate for years.
Schiavo's husband says she told him before her illness that she would not want to be kept alive. He petitioned the courts in 1998 to remove her feeding tube.
Schiavo's parents doubt she had any such end-of-life wishes and believe she could be rehabilitated with therapy.
After five years of litigation over Terri Schiavo's wishes and fate, her feeding tube was removed Oct. 15.
A massive campaign by religious conservatives across the country pressured lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush to step in and save her. The Legislature passed a law Oct. 21, and her feeding tube was reinserted that evening. Monday's incident adds another wrinkle in the legal saga. Schiavo's husband issued orders denying visits by anyone until the police investigation is complete.
"Mrs. Schiavo was found in a disheveled state with her feeding tube wrapped around her back and an allergy band pulled up very tight on her arm like a tourniquet," Felos said in a press release. "On one arm were four fresh puncture wounds with another fresh puncture wound on her other arm. Also found were fresh scratch wounds, over the puncture wounds as if an attempt were made to conceal the puncture wounds."
Pat Anderson, the Schindlers' attorney, called the development a "ruse to cut off" visits by Terri Schiavo's parents.
"I tell you what it looks like to me," Anderson said. "They're accusing the parents of abusing her, which is insane because the parents have been fighting to take care of her."
Felos, the attorney representing Schiavo's husband, stopped short of accusing Schiavo's parents in the incident but said they were her only visitors Monday.
"Maybe one of their quack doctors told them, "Here, we have a substance that can help Terri get better, but it has to be injected,"' Felos said.
FV SAYS: Michael ALWAYS calls the cops which is another ruse.
I don't believe her parents would have left her like this, esp with her laying on the feeding tube. They denied trying to draw blood and they have seemed to be up front in the past. Was lab in the house? That's important because even though they can nurses don't usually draw blood. If they weren't then a mix up could be ruled out. Teri's care needs to be looked at closely by the health dept though. When I see things like disheveled, feeding tube behind her back, bed sores, missing teeth and now marks and bruises flags go up big time. They would be kicking doors down here.