Western Wisconsin nurse amputates patient’s foot without permission, wanted to display it at taxidermy shop

A western Wisconsin nurse amputated senior living resident’s foot without permission and allegedly wanted to display it at her family’s taxidermy shop to warn children about frostbite.

The state board of nursing is investigating the tragic incident, as nurse Mary Brown of Durand, Wis., is facing elder abuse charges.

The male patient had dead tissue in his foot from frostbite, after having to stay in his home without heat during the winter.

He was living at a health center when Brown cut off the foot last May, without permission from the patient’s family or other medical officials. The man died days later.

She reportedly told others that she wanted to display the amputated foot at her family’s taxidermy shop, as a warning for kids to wear boots in cold weather.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the man was at Spring Valley Health and Rehab Center when Brown amputated his foot May 27. A criminal complaint gives no indication the amputation hastened his death.