Kimberly Clark Saenz: The Dialysis Clinic Murders
Background
Kimberly Clark Saenz was a licensed vocational nurse who became one of the most notorious medical serial killers in Texas history. Born Kimberly Clark Fowler on November 3, 1973, she eventually trained as a nurse and found employment in medical facilities around Lufkin, Texas. Her career was troubled long before the killings that made her infamous. She had reportedly been dismissed from several health-care positions for misconduct, including allegations that she stole prescription medication and attempted to interfere with a drug test.
In 2007, Saenz began working at the DaVita dialysis clinic in Lufkin. The patients treated there were suffering from severe kidney disease and depended on dialysis machines to remove waste and excess fluid from their blood. During treatment, their blood traveled through external tubing before being returned to their bodies. This process left them physically vulnerable and placed enormous trust in the nurses and technicians responsible for their care.
A Disturbing Pattern at the Clinic
During April 2008, the clinic experienced an extraordinary series of medical emergencies. Patients who had arrived for routine dialysis suddenly became unconscious, suffered dramatic drops in blood pressure or went into cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel were summoned to the facility repeatedly. During the preceding 15 months, ambulances had reportedly been called to the clinic only twice, but in April 2008 alone emergency medical services responded approximately 30 times.
The number and timing of the incidents alarmed clinic employees, paramedics and local officials. Several patients experienced unusual blood clots in their dialysis tubing, while others displayed symptoms consistent with the destruction of red blood cells. Some patients survived after emergency treatment, but five eventually died. Investigators later determined that Saenz had been working during every fatal incident included in the prosecution.
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