A nurse in Wisconsin, Mary K. Brown, who planned to amputate a patient’s frostbitten leg without consent and intended to use it as a disturbing exhibit in her family’s taxidermy shop, has avoided prison time. Instead, she settled for a plea deal that resulted in her facing no jail time and only paying $443 in court costs.
The 40-year-old nurse is charged with mistreating a 62-year-old patient during a fraudulent surgical procedure at the Spring Valley Senior Living and Healthcare facility in 2022. The patient passed away several days later, but authorities found no clear cause-and-effect relationship between his death and the amputation.
Initially, she faced severe charges—intentional physical harm and abuse against an elderly person—which could have led to a lengthy prison sentence. However, she pleaded guilty to lesser charges that significantly reduced her potential punishment.
The patient, Doug McFarland, was admitted due to severe frostbite on both legs after collapsing at home. His condition worsened, leading to necrosis in his legs. The staff at the hospice stated that Brown communicated plans to save her foot—referred to as “mummy feet”—for display in the taxidermy store, intending it to serve as a grim warning about frostbite.
Brown allegedly aimed to couple the display with a sign that read, “Wear your boots, wear your kids.” Reports claim she was attempting to “enhance his quality of life,” although the nursing care managers noted that the patient had expressly refused the amputation.
Doug’s sister, Heidi McFarland, expressed her outrage upon learning about the situation, remembering her brother as “a phenomenal artist.”
Despite escaping a prison sentence, Brown may still face disciplinary action from the Wisconsin Nursing Board, limiting her ability to work in caregiving roles in the future.
