IMPD: 60-year-old man arrested in connection to woman's death at south-side nursing center
Update: This story was updated Feb. 7, 2022 with more information about the deceased.
A 60-year-old man is facing preliminary murder charges in connection to the death of a woman at a south-side Indianapolis health care center Wednesday morning, according to police.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police arrested Dwayne Freeman hours after a woman was found dead inside a room at Homestead Healthcare Center at 7465 Madison Ave. shortly before 6 a.m. An IMPD spokesperson at the time called the death "suspicious" and said police had detained a person, later identified as Freeman, at the scene.
Law enforcement officials declined to elaborate on the “suspicious" circumstances of the death and later Wednesday evening said "available evidence" led investigators to believe the woman's death to be a homicide.
The Marion County Coroner's Office later identified the woman as 80-year-old Patricia Newnum and said she died from asphyxiation due to smothering. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Both Freeman and Newnum, police noted, were residents at Homestead, a skilled nursing facility that offers physical therapy and rehabilitation programs.
A spokesperson for Homestead in a written statement to IndyStar said the company is "extremely concerned" about the situation and is "cooperating fully with investigators." They declined to comment further on the death, citing the active police investigation.
'Extremely concerned': Person found dead under 'suspicious' circumstances
Police have released little information about the homicide but at the time said they did not believe there was "any ongoing threat to the community."
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office will determine final charges in the case.
Police ask anyone with information about this case to call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317-327-3475 or email the detective at Douglas.Swails@indy.gov. Anonymous tips can be given to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 or (TIPS).
Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 or landrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis crime: Man arrested in south side Homestead death
