Elder abuse case turns surreal as North Carolina caregivers allegedly ran a ‘Dementia Fight Club’

In 2019, the Winston-Salem police and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received a disturbing tip concerning elderly abuse at Danby House. Allegedly, three employees at the assisted living facility were running a “fight club” with the dementia patients.

Tonacia Tyson, Taneshia Jordan, and Marilyn McKey were employees at the facility, which reportedly specializes in memory care. In these types of facilities, they already have difficulties just ensuring the people under their care stay on the premises. There have already been cases where some members have run away from facilities and others who lost track of their group once they went for a trip in the city.

The authorities alleged that Danby House had an issue far more sinister, and they arrived at the facility believing the three were apparently orchestrating a fighting spectacle for their own amusement amongst the dementia patients on slow work days.

According to NBC, the three had been encouraging the fights for quite some time, and it led to “one resident being strangled with her face turning red … while staff recorded and shared the video through social media.” In fact, social media was the reason a tipster ended up calling the authorities when one of the videos from the facility ended up going viral.

In the video, two members in their 70s are seen fighting, but instead of the staff intervening, they can be heard off camera egging them on. One staff member can actually be heard shouting “punch her in the face” in the video.

Danby House released a statement that read in part, “One of the effects of dementia can be aggressive behaviors, and our staff is trained to deescalate any acts of aggression in a safe manner,” and they assured the community, “These employees did not follow through with this training and were subsequently terminated.”

The case went on for quite a while, and the three ended up getting different fates in the courts. Marilyn Latish McKey pleaded guilty early, and in 2022 she served her 45-day suspended jail sentence and was on probation for 12 months. For Taneshia Deshawn Jordan, things were pretty much the same, except she only got a 30-day suspended sentence. Tonacia Yvonne Tyson was acquitted of all charges against her. McKey and Jordan had additional social punishment, as they are now banned from ever setting foot inside Danby House.

Danby was also on the line for hiring them in the first place. One of the families affected opted to sue them. At some point, they were even barred by the authorities from taking in more residents. Eventually, their suspension was lifted, and they were able to settle with their affected family out of court.

The story has gained renewed interest on social media, as the video has started doing more rounds on the often poorly moderated Elon Musk platform X. Some concerned citizens have since asked the public to stop sharing the videos, as it takes the family back to a difficult time in their lives.

Elderly abuse is one of the most reprehensible and inexcusable behaviors in society. If you witness such an act, you can reach the Eldercare Locator by telephone at 1-800-677-1116.