Mary K. Brown, a 40-year-old nurse from Wisconsin, has entered a no contest plea to a charge related to her unauthorized amputation of a nursing home patient’s foot. Initially, Brown had pleaded not guilty to charges of physical abuse of an elderly person, mayhem, and negligent abuse of a patient. These charges were brought against her following an illicit procedure she performed in 2022, which led to the suspension of her nursing license.
Brown admitted to amputating the left foot of Doug McFarland, a 62-year-old patient, which had become necrotic due to severe frostbite. Court records indicate that neither McFarland nor his physicians had given Brown permission to perform the amputation. At the time, Brown was employed as a nurse at the Spring Valley Senior Living and Healthcare Campus in Spring Valley, Wisconsin. McFarland was receiving treatment at the facility after a fall at his home earlier in the spring resulted in severe frostbite in his feet, leading to necrosis.
According to court documents, Brown referred to McFarland’s condition as “mummy feet” and believed that amputation would improve his quality of life. Several of Brown’s colleagues at the facility confirmed that on the morning of May 27, 2022, McFarland still had both feet. By the evening, one foot had been amputated. It was later discovered that Brown had not obtained consent from McFarland or his physician to carry out the procedure.
The court documents also revealed that an administrator at the facility had instructed Brown not to amputate McFarland’s foot, despite acknowledging that a doctor would likely concur with the need for the procedure. The administrator reportedly believed that Brown’s intention was to ensure McFarland’s comfort and dignity.
The documents further stated that the foot was barely attached, held together by skin and two tendons. Brown informed the police that she had used “bandage scissors” to “snip” McFarland’s foot. Another nurse at the facility told police that Brown had shared plans to preserve the foot and display it in her family’s taxidermy shop with a sign reading ‘Wear your boots, kids.’
McFarland passed away a few days after the unauthorized amputation. Brown entered a no contest plea to a misdemeanor charge of negligently abusing a patient. She agreed to pay $443 in court costs and to accept any disciplinary actions proposed by the state’s Board of Nursing. She will not serve any jail time.