Episode 30- From Caregiver to "Murderer" with Rachel Waters (Part 1)

This is Part 1 of this Incredulous story of Caregiving gone wrong. Rachel Waters made headlines in 2025 when she was indicted on two counts of murder following her mother’s hospice death in Columbia County, Georgia. Facing charges so severe that they carried the possibility of the death penalty, Rachel's life was upended overnight. Her journey began in 2020 as an only child caregiver to her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and cancer (multiple myeloma). In July 2023, Rachel and her husband were urgently called down from New York City to Georgia after her mother was found nonresponsive and had been declared “actively dying” by hospice staff. Within hours of her mother's death, Rachel learned that she had become a murder suspect. By February 2025, she faced a high-profile indictment alleging that she administered "a lethal dose" of morphine to her mother while she was residing in a memory care facility. In the US, caregivers such as Rachel are issued hospice comfort kits that contain small amounts of prescribed medications, including morphine, which are used to treat end-of-life symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and shortness of breath. After additional records and evidence were presented to the state medical examiner and district attorney, all charges were dismissed in August 2025. Her legal ordeal and personal experience transformed Rachel into a passionate advocate for patients and families navigating end-of-life care. Rachel now works to spotlight systemic gaps in hospice practices and pushes for caregiver protections so that other families and their loved ones are not left vulnerable. A former nonprofit communications professional and life sciences writer, Rachel spent more than a decade exploring the intersections of medicine and technology, human rights, and culture. Rachel grew up in Georgia and now lives in Sunnyside, Queens, with her two husbands and their beloved cats. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Augusta State University and a master’s degree in international affairs from The New School in New York. When she’s not writing or speaking, Rachel can be found lifting heavy, testing the latest biometric gadget, or immersing herself in a good book or creative project. https://gofund.me/77e3e7ad9