The cause of a man’s death is believed to be most likely compressional and positional asphyxia due to prone facedown restraint.
Two Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers are in jail after being charged with first-degree murder over the death of a patient under their care.
Illinois EMS workers Peggy Finley and Peter Cadigan were arrested on Jan. 9 on first-degree murder charges, according to arrest records.
In December of 2022, Springfield Police were dispatched to a home in which someone thought there were people inside with firearms. Upon arriving, police were told the caller, Earl Moore, had been having hallucinations due to alcohol withdrawal, according to a statement from police.
Police decided Moore, 35, needed medical assistance and called for an ambulance, and Finley and Cadigan arrived, said the statement.
Moore was instructed by Finley to walk to the ambulance but needed assistance, which was not offered by the EMS workers, so police helped Moore to the stretcher outside the home, said police.
According to bodycam footage from police, Moore was placed facedown on the stretcher and then strapped into that position by the two EMS workers.
Moore died after arriving at the hospital. The county coroner determined his cause of death is believed to be most likely compressional and positional asphyxia due to prone facedown restraint, according to WAND TV.
“The men and women of the Springfield Police Department join the Springfield community in grieving the unnecessary loss of life and pledge to work with the medical care providers in our area to ensure the citizens of Springfield receive the utmost care and consideration in their time of need,” said police.
Both Finley and Cadigan are being held at the Sangamon County Detention Facility on a $1 million bond, according to the jail’s roster.
Lifestar Ambulance Service told Inside Edition they are not able to comment at this time since the investigation is ongoing.
