The state launched an investigation Sunday after a 30-year-old Pierce County developmentally disabled man in assisted-living died, nearly two weeks after drinking liquid laundry detergent.
The Department of Social and Health Services said it is trying to determine how the man, who was not identified, gained access to the detergent Oct. 3.
Pierce County sheriff’s detectives are also investigating.
“Things do happen,” DSHS spokesman Thomas Shapley said. “But we’re going to take a look at their practices and procedures to make sure everything was done properly.”
The man lived in the Frances Haddon Morgan Center in Bremerton until March. He then transitioned to community living in Pierce County.
Educational Programs for Home Living, a Tacoma-based nonprofit organization that cares for the developmentally disabled in homes, was looking after the man. He lived alone.
Employees discovered Oct. 3 that the man had ingested detergent and immediately called the Poison Control Center.
They took him to the hospital the following day because he was having trouble breathing.
The man was released from the hospital Saturday and again had difficulty breathing, according to DSHS. He was admitted to the emergency room Sunday, where he died.
DSHS Secretary Susan Dreyfus said she is heartsick for the man and his family.
“We will do all we can to be certain what happened and why,” she said in a written statement, adding that DSHS will share the results of the investigation with everyone caring for the developmentally disabled.
“At the very least, we can learn from a tragic event like this and make changes in the system. But I can’t promise that it will never happen again,” Dreyfus said.
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