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New details in Arizona case of woman in vegetative state giving birth

Posted at 1:57 PM, Jan 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-07 14:57:32-05

PHOENIX, Arizona — After a woman in a vegetative state recently gave birth, officials are looking into multiple angles to determine what exactly happened at the Valley nursing facility.

Part of the investigation is focused on the possibility of multiple sexual assaults on the woman, including assaults on different parts of the body.

RELATED: Police investigate sex assault after woman in vegetative state delivers baby at Hacienda Healthcare

Sources tell KNXV television station in Phoenix that investigators are hoping to DNA-test the staff at Hacienda Healthcare and are evaluating other patients at the establishment.

Reports state that the staff did not know the woman was pregnant until she was giving birth, but sources tell KNXV this may not be true.

Investigators are looking into whether anyone kept the pregnancy a secret, according to sources, as the woman apparently showed a "bump."

Parents of patients at Hacienda Healthcare have called this incident "deeply concerning" and are considering moving their children from the facility.

Hacienda declined to talk on camera but did previously gave KNXV a statement reading in part:

"As an organization, Hacienda HealthCare stands fully committed to getting to the truth of what, for us, represents an unprecedented matter. We are already conducting a comprehensive internal review of our processes, protocols, and people to ensure that every single Hacienda resident is as safe and well cared for as possible. Anything less than that is unacceptable to our team, our company’s leaders and the communities we serve.”