Woman, 84, died after being left alone in the cold on Christmas Eve: reports

An 84-year-old woman reportedly died on Christmas Eve after being left out of an Ohio nursing home because nurses thought she had left her in the care of her brother.

According to local stations, on December 24, Alvera Meuti of Warrensville Heights was reported missing for more than 10 hours from the Avenue at Warrensville Care and Rehabilitation Center WOIO.

She was later found lying on her back on the patio, according to Warrensville Heights Police (WHPD) WOIO.

The station added that Meuti died at 8:57 a.m. local time the same day after being taken to South Pointe Hospital.

On Friday, January 10, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner confirmed to PEOPLE that she died from “environmental exposure combined with hypothermia.”

WKYC stated that a nurse last saw Meuti in her room around 8:40 p.m. local time on December 23, and the employee told police that she “seemed normal” sitting in a wheelchair and talking, according to the facility.

When another nurse went to check on Meuti that day at 9:30 p.m., she was not in her room. According to the publication, the employee in question told police she believed she “left the facility with her brother.”

The nurse also stated that she called Meuti’s brother multiple times to no avail at 12:36 a.m. on Christmas Eve and told police that she was “a new nurse and wasn’t sure what to do next,” WOIO reports.

Police said that after the employee told a co-worker around 6:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve, a “code purple” was issued, during which hospital rooms and the area outside the building are checked, police said.

The woman’s brother then reportedly responded to calls and told police that he had visited her on December 23 around 5:30 p.m., and that she had said she wanted to leave the facility. He added that according to WOIO, she was unable to do so at the time because she was unable to walk properly.

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WJW said police were called to the property around 7:30 a.m. on December 24 and found the woman “outside in the corner of the patio.” The woman did not respond and was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

“We are sorry to hear of the resident’s death and have expressed our condolences to the family,” Avenue Warrensville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center said in a statement, according to WJW. “The investigation remains active and we are therefore unable to provide further comment on the WJW website. this time”

According to WKYC, officials at the home told police that nurses were required to check on patients every two hours. The facility added that Meuti has been under the facility’s care since being transferred from the Cleveland Clinic to Marymount Hospital on Dec. 18 for physical therapy.

Warrensville Avenue Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and the Warrensville Heights Police Department did not immediately respond when PEOPLE contacted them for comment.