Wisconsin Nurse Faces 15 Years in Prison After Allegedly Removing Oxygen Because 'Death Paperwork' Was Easier

Wisconsin nurse Beth Holtz could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of intentionally abusing a patient whose oxygen she allegedly removed at Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center on 17 August 2025, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Law&Crime.

For context, the 75-year-old hospice patient had pulmonary fibrosis and an order requiring continuous oxygen. The complaint says he was found lying on the bathroom floor without his oxygen connected, before Holtz allegedly removed the supply after putting it back on him.

Holtz, 53, was charged with one count of intentionally abusing a patient. She allegedly told a colleague, 'It's easier to do death paperwork than falls paperwork.' Police say the patient went without oxygen for around 90 minutes, while the complaint alleges her actions caused 'great bodily harm'.

Wisconsin Nurse's 'Death Paperwork' Remark

The complaint, filed by the Monroe County Sheriff's Department and Monroe County District Attorney's Office, identifies Holtz as a registered nurse assigned to the centre's Hospice Ward.

Police also allege she said, 'I was hoping he would die during my shift.'

Holtz admitted making the paperwork remark, according to the complaint, but denied saying she hoped the patient would die during her shift. She described the former comment as 'just being goofy'.

Her explanation also referred to her workload. The complaint says she acknowledged making the comments because she had 'a ton of paperwork to do' and it was the end of her shift.

Why the Wisconsin Nurse Said She Removed Oxygen

Holtz told police she sat with the patient and restored his oxygen. She said he appeared weak and she believed he was dying. She recalled telling him, 'It is OK to go.'

According to the complaint, she said she removed the oxygen because he was restless and she thought he was dying, rather than to hasten his death.

'I thought that he was gonna die at any moment ... the way he was looking and reaching and staring off and breathing,' she told police, according to the complaint. She said she recognised those behaviours in people who were dying.

She maintained that any wish for him to die was for his own sake because he was struggling, rather than for her convenience.

Yet according to police, the oxygen remained off, despite the patient's continuous-oxygen order.

Police put that period between 6.30 pm and 8 pm. During it, a nursing assistant allegedly asked Holtz whether she wanted the oxygen put back on. The complaint's account says she declined.

Wisconsin Nurse Said She 'Should Have Known Better'

Another nurse later found the patient with black-and-blue lips, struggling to breathe and reaching into the air, according to the complaint. She reported an immediate improvement when oxygen was restored.

The complaint states, 'She said that patient immediately began to warm up, his color returned, and he began to breathe normally.'

Holtz later acknowledged to police that she 'should have known better' because the patient had 'been on oxygen forever', according to the complaint. She also argued that people would die regardless of whether oxygen was supplied.

The patient died six days later, on 23 August 2025. The reported allegations do not establish that the oxygen removal caused his death.

During a polygraph test to which she agreed, Holtz said that 'part of her did want him to pass sooner to be at peace', the complaint alleges. She said she had not done this before and described it as a 'one-time mistake'.