PHILADELPHIA - Cheryl Yewdall spent most of her life at a Philadelphia care home for people with developmental disabilities.
It was there, on Jan. 26, that the 50-year-old was found face down on the floor, in a pool of urine, suffocating on a large wad of paper that had been stuffed down her throat.She died five days later.No one in authority has said how a 6- or 7-inch paper towel or disinfecting wipe wound up in the trachea of a woman with cerebral palsy and profound intellectual disabilities.
The medical examiner’s office said it could not determine the manner of Yewdall’s death, and a police investigation has yielded no arrests.But an attorney for Yewdall's mother, in a new wrongful death lawsuit, casts suspicion on an unidentified staff member at Merakey Woodhaven — and suggests that Yewdall herself left a disturbing clue about what how she was treated at the place she called home for four decades."She was just so sweet and innocent and helpless, and she depended on them to care for her and love her and be safe," Yewdall's mother, Christine Civatte, said in a phone interview. "I just thought they would protect her."In a written statement to The Associated Press, Merakey said it "denies any responsibility" for Yewdall's death, which it called "a serious and tragic incident." The organization said it has cooperated with state and local investigations."She was a valued member of the Merakey community, and we were honored to have had her in our care for more than 40 years," said Merakey, a provider of developmental, behavioral health and education services with nearly 700 locations nationwide.Born three months premature, Cheryl Yewdall went to live at Woodhaven as a child.