Denver Woman Dies in Car Outside Hospital E.R., Body Not Discovered For 3 Days

A woman’s body was found in the parking lot of a Denver emergency room, she was decomposing for three days before anyone discovered her. Her family is calling for changes to security protocol at the hospital.

© Noam Galai/Getty Images
Illustrative photo of police tape surrounding a crime scene. A woman was found dead in her car after three days outside a Denver hospital.

Mother-of-two and grandmother Yvette Mooney, 50, was found last Sunday in her car at the Swedish Medical Center in Colorado, but medical examiners discovered that she had died the previous Thursday.

“A hard worker all her life. She raised amazing children,” Kandra Garcia, Mooney’s daughter-in-law, told Fox31 news.

Mooney’s family became concerned when they hadn’t heard from her, they suspected that she had gone to the hospital to visit a friend, and called the police when she didn’t return their calls.

The Englewood Police Department found Mooney deceased in her car, presumably on the way to the emergency room, said her relative Garcia. “She couldn’t make it inside. She thought, ‘I’m in an ER parking lot. They will find me –somebody will come.'”

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However, as Mooney was undiscovered for a number of days, the family is demanding answers from the authorities as to why she was left in her vehicle for such a significant period of time. Mooney’s car had tinted windows, police said.

“Somebody dropped the ball and I want answers,” Garcia said. Three days later she was “blistered and too decomposed for us to have a proper burial,” continued Mooney’s daughter-in-law.

A statement was issued from the Swedish Medical Center to Fox31 reporters. “We offer sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the family and loved ones,” it read. “Upon discovery of the event we immediately notified the Englewood Police Department and have worked closely with them throughout the ongoing investigation.”

Mooney’s relatives are calling for increased security procedures, with cars checked more regularly at the medical center.

According to officials, the cause of Mooney’s death is still not determined. City coroners are currently carrying out their report. Police are also obtaining security footage from the scene to aid their investigation.

This August the Swedish Medical Center in Denver was recognized for its outstanding care for heart attack patients. It received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2020. The medical center is an acute care hospital with more than 400 patient beds, it treats around 200,000 people each year.

Newsweek has contacted Englewood police and the Swedish Medical Center in Denver for more information and comment on the aforementioned incident.

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