Efren Saldivar
Encyclopedia
Efren Saldivar is an American
serial killer
who murdered patients while working as a respiratory therapist.
, he graduated from the College of Medical and Dental Careers in North Hollywood, California in 1988. He obtained work as a respiratory therapist employed by the Glendale Adventist Medical Center
, working the night shift
when there were fewer staff on duty. He is not related to murderer Yolanda Saldivar
.
. These drugs could have included Morphine
and Suxamethonium chloride
as they were found in his locker with fresh and used syringes. Pancuronium
(brand name Pavulon) definitely was used in six murders; this drug is used to stop a patient's respiration
when they are about to be put on a medical ventilator
. He was careful in the selection of his victims, choosing those who were unconscious and close to death. This led to no easily detectable rise in the rate or distribution of patient deaths when he was on duty. This in turn hampered the investigation, as there were no easily discernable correlations between changes in the distribution or rate of deaths and his shift pattern (a commonly used tool in examining whether malpractice
is taking place).
His medical employment was ended on March 13, 1998. Shortly afterward, he confessed to 50 murders (a confession he later retracted). In searching for evidence that would be strong enough to obtain a court conviction, the police exhumed the remains of patients who had died while Saldivar had been on duty and been buried (rather than cremated
). The marker that was being sought was unusually high levels of Pavulon in the cadaver, as this drug remains identifiable for many months (unlike succinylcholine chloride and morphine
which are decomposed into innocuous compounds relatively rapidly).
After 20 exhumations, six cadavers had evidence of a lethal concentration of Pavulon. On March 12, 2002 Saldivar pleaded guilty to those six counts of murder and received six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole
.
, Tom Malinowski, led the internal investigation by Adventist Health
. Statistical analysis indicates that the total number of murders committed by Saldivar could be as high as 120, but no convincing physical evidence will ever be available to confirm or refute this possibility due to bodies being cremated after death or simply the effects of bodily harm.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who murdered patients while working as a respiratory therapist.
Early life
Born in Brownsville, TexasBrownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, he graduated from the College of Medical and Dental Careers in North Hollywood, California in 1988. He obtained work as a respiratory therapist employed by the Glendale Adventist Medical Center
Glendale Adventist Medical Center
Glendale Adventist Medical Center is a non-profit organization located in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, California. GAMC is one of the city's oldest businesses, founded in 1905, a year before Glendale was incorporated as a city...
, working the night shift
Night Shift
A night shift is either a group of workers who work during the night, or the period in which they work. See shift work.Night Shift may also refer to:* Night Shift , a fictional team of supervillains in the Marvel Universe...
when there were fewer staff on duty. He is not related to murderer Yolanda Saldivar
Yolanda Saldívar
Yolanda Saldívar is a Mexican American woman who was convicted in 1995 of the murder of Tejano music singer Selena at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 31, 1995.- Early life :...
.
Murders
He killed his patients by injecting a paralytic drug which led to respiratory and/or cardiac arrestCardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
. These drugs could have included Morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
and Suxamethonium chloride
Suxamethonium chloride
Suxamethonium chloride , also known as suxamethonium or succinylcholine, is a paralytic drug used to induce muscle relaxation and short-term paralysis, usually to facilitate tracheal intubation. Suxamethonium is sold under the trade names Anectine, Quelicin, and Scoline. It is used as a paralytic...
as they were found in his locker with fresh and used syringes. Pancuronium
Pancuronium
Pancuronium is a muscle relaxant with various purposes. It is the second of three drugs administered during most lethal injections in the United States.- Mode of action :...
(brand name Pavulon) definitely was used in six murders; this drug is used to stop a patient's respiration
Respiratory system
The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
when they are about to be put on a medical ventilator
Medical ventilator
A medical ventilator can be defined as any machine designed to mechanically move breatheable air into and out of the lungs, to provide the mechanism of breathing for a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently....
. He was careful in the selection of his victims, choosing those who were unconscious and close to death. This led to no easily detectable rise in the rate or distribution of patient deaths when he was on duty. This in turn hampered the investigation, as there were no easily discernable correlations between changes in the distribution or rate of deaths and his shift pattern (a commonly used tool in examining whether malpractice
Malpractice
In law, malpractice is a type of negligence in, which the professional under a duty to act, fails to follow generally accepted professional standards, and that breach of duty is the proximate cause of injury to a plaintiff who suffers harm...
is taking place).
His medical employment was ended on March 13, 1998. Shortly afterward, he confessed to 50 murders (a confession he later retracted). In searching for evidence that would be strong enough to obtain a court conviction, the police exhumed the remains of patients who had died while Saldivar had been on duty and been buried (rather than cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
). The marker that was being sought was unusually high levels of Pavulon in the cadaver, as this drug remains identifiable for many months (unlike succinylcholine chloride and morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
which are decomposed into innocuous compounds relatively rapidly).
After 20 exhumations, six cadavers had evidence of a lethal concentration of Pavulon. On March 12, 2002 Saldivar pleaded guilty to those six counts of murder and received six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
.
Number of victims
The former head of the respiratory care department at Loma Linda UniversityLoma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
, Tom Malinowski, led the internal investigation by Adventist Health
Adventist Health System
The Adventist Health System is a non-profit health care organisation which operates facilities within the Southern and Midwestern regions of the United States...
. Statistical analysis indicates that the total number of murders committed by Saldivar could be as high as 120, but no convincing physical evidence will ever be available to confirm or refute this possibility due to bodies being cremated after death or simply the effects of bodily harm.