Nurse stole painkillers meant for patients, replacing them with saline, Texas cops say
A Texas nurse is accused of stealing pain relief drugs intended for patients and replacing them with saline, Houston officials say.
Investigators say Alexis Joann McNeilly, 25, repeatedly took vials of hydromorphone and fentanyl from an automated dispenser at the hospital where she worked and discreetly replaced the contents with saline, according to Harris County court documents filed Dec. 27. McNeilly had to override the drug dispenser to do this.
Then, investigators say McNeilly put the vials back into the dispenser, where they could end up in the hands of another nurse or doctor, who would be unaware the potent painkiller in their hands is actually just a mixture of water and salt.
“In simpler terms, the (dispenser) acts as a vending machine for hospital staff dispensing medicine upon request,” the documents read.
Houston police began investigating in late May, after a fellow nurse at Houston Methodist Hospital noticed several vials and syringes appeared to have been tampered with and informed a supervisor, documents say.
Investigators say surveillance cameras captured McNeilly using the dispenser and injecting saline into the now-empty vials she stole from, according to documents. Cameras caught her doing this 15 times between April 20 and May 10, a period of 20 days.
Investigators believe McNeilly was using at least some of the drugs herself, injecting them into her hand, then going back to work.
McNeilly is facing three counts of diversion of a controlled substance, a felony charge, documents show. She was taken into custody on Dec. 28 and her bail is set at $30,000.
Court documents did not list attorney information for McNeilly.
McClatchy News has reached out to Houston Methodist Hospital for comment.
This isn’t the first time McNeilly has been accused of stealing drugs from a hospital, documents said. During the investigation, police learned she was fired from her previous nursing job at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas after nurses raised concerns to a supervisor about McNeilly’s behavior.
In May 2022, a nurse went into a restroom just after McNeilly exited and noticed “blood spray” on a toilet, the floor and wall, documents said. Empty drug vials were later found in the trash can, documents said. When confronted, McNeilly said she was using the medications because of “extreme personal stress” and “to help her deal with anxiety.”
McNeilly took a drug test and the results were positive for morphine, hydromorphone and marijuana — and she was subsequently fired, according to investigators. Police were never involved in that investigation, McNeilly told police.
Baylor University Medical Center declined to comment on the case.
ICU nurse steals fentanyl IV bags and swaps fluid with unknown liquid, Florida cops say
Dental patient got 8 crowns, 4 root canals, 20 fillings in 1 visit. Now she’s suing
Teens leaving baseball practice are killed by drunk driver on parole, TX officials say
