Woman arrested after deaths of three people at Swanage care home released without charge

A 60-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the deaths of three elderly people at a Swanage care home has been released without charge, police have said.

Dorset Police said the deaths of the three Gainsborough Care Home residents – two men aged 74 and 91 and an 86-year-old woman – are still being treated as unexplained.

Seven people were also taken to hospital “as a precaution” and the property was evacuated following the incident last month.

Police previously said that possible carbon monoxide poisoning was the “primary line of inquiry”.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Third, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “The deceased and their loved ones remain at the forefront of our minds throughout our investigation.

“Over recent weeks we have been continuing to gather as much information as we can, working with HM Coroner, to establish a cause of death.

“To enable us to take a full account and recover any available evidence, while providing legal protection to the person, we made an arrest as part of our enquiries.

“The arrest was also made to establish where there were any actions or omissions by that individual that were believed to be grossly negligent and we have now reached a position where we do not believe that to be the case.

“Our investigation is very much still ongoing and we are awaiting results from detailed forensic submissions and analysis to assist us in establishing the causes of the deaths, which may take several months.

“The families of the residents who sadly died are being kept informed with any updates in the investigation.”

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