Kailua dentist indicted for manslaughter in dental death case
COURTESY ASHLEY BOYLE / JAN. 2013
Ashley Boyle with her daughter Finley Puleo Boyle at Malaekahana Beach, Laie in November 2013 before Finley suffered massive brain damage from an overdose of sedatives while at the dentist in December.
Former Kailua dentist Lilly Geyer was indicted by an Oahu grand jury late today and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of 3-year-old Finley Boyle, who fell into a coma during a dental procedure Dec. 3, 2013 and later died.
Attorney General Doug Chin announced that Geyer faces 37 counts in the indictment, including numerous instances of medical assistance fraud and prohibited acts related to controlled substances.
A bench warrant was issued for Geyer’s arrest and bail was set at $100,000.
The charges stem from events involving patients treated from October to December 2013 at Geyer’s dental practice in Kailua. The attorney general’s office said Geyer is subject to enhanced sentencing because two of the patients tied to the counts were children under the age of eight.
The charges follow a joint investigation by the Department of Public Safety, Narcotics Enforcement Division, and the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control unit.
Geyer is accused of assault in the second degree for recklessly causing serious bodily injury to Boyle, identified only as FB in the indictment. She is also charged with manslaughter for recklessly causing her death, and with manslaughter by omission for failing to perform a duty imposed by law.
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Boyle was heavily sedated and stopped breathing in the dentist’s chair on Dec. 3, 2013. She never regained full consciousness and died on Jan. 3, 2014.
An autopsy ruled she died of complications following cardiac arrest, likely caused by the drugs given to sedate her.
22 responses to “Kailua dentist indicted for manslaughter in dental death case”
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All more the reason for kids not to grow up to be in any medical profession. Too much liability.
Wow. Only sympathy for the dentist, not the patients who died?
or maybe this will encourage kids to pursue such worthwhile paths … in an ethical and responsible manner …
That’s a rather cynical sad comment IMHO. Isn’t the risk of liability only if you do something illegal or wrong? Children need to be encouraged to learn as much as they can, do the best they can in whatever endeavors they pursue. Be passionate and hopefully be a positive influence and contributor to society.
How on earth was this quack allowed to practice dentistry?
The dentist must have used gas or otherwise tried to knock her out completely, huh?
All the more reason to only use local anesthesia like Novocaine.
Some dentists do knock out patients prior to working on them. Gas is not that bad. The injectable stuff is risky. Remember Michael Jackson and Prince. Both died from drugs normally used as injectable anesthetics. Better totally know what you are doing before going there. A lot better than my old dentist. He would be drilling without giving me anything.
what are you talking about…do some research other than what you read while buying stuff at the grocery stores..information = intelligence
I still can’t understand why a three year old would need such extensive dental care that she needed to be knocked out. I have had many fillings, crowns and a root canal all done using lidocaine and in some xl ases supplemented with nitrous oxide gas. Never had to have anesthesia. Poor baby girl.
Dentist misused her responsibility for caring for her patients. Thought she could do anything and get away with it. Very sad that something like this had to happen before she got caught!!!
I remember reading about this almost three years ago when it happened, I thought how sad. Brought back my memories of the first time I had to go see a dentist when I was in third grade. Then I thought, why is a child of three years of age going to a dentist, which I still ponder to this day. As far as I know, every tooth in that poor babies mouth was going to fall out anyhow. I just feel so sorry for a child that young to have had to go through what she did, may God rest her soul.
That is a good point. What is the point of going through all of this if everything is going to be given to the Tooth Fairy? I also question the wisdom, barring an anesthetic accident like this one of exposing such a young child to mercury. That “silver” filling is partially mercury. An element so toxic it is now prohibited in all applications except being mixed with silver and pushed into people’s teeth.
The trsil of dental victims and ruined lives can be traced to Maui Senator Roz Baker, who lowered the dental licensure standards at the request of Dr. Geyer herself. Roz disregarded the warnings from the dental board and the state dental association about just this sort of tragedy. Another dentist licence as a direct result of Baker’s reckless bill was Dr. John Stover. Some of his patients were also dangerously overmedicated with one young mother ending up comatose. I think she died.
The consequences for senator Baker? She retained control of the Senate consumer protection committee and was also put in charge of the Senate health committee.
Rewarding failure? You bet. She is also at the lead of the bumbling Maui hospital sale and worker payoff, the botched UH cancer center financial and leadership plans, the $200 million Hawaii Health Connector disaster, an unnecessary trophy high school project for her district, the repeated refusal to allow bills for pesticide reporting or buffers to even get a public hearing, and more.
What are the consequence of this abysmal track record on consumer protection and public health? She receives the most “donations” from lobbyosts of any current legislator and is considered by many to be Hawaii’s most powerful state senator.
Why are the dental assistants and dentists being crominally prosecuted, and harshly so, but Roz Baker has had zero political accountability for her poor judgement and reckless disregard for expert opinion?
This makes me feel sick to my stomach.
The story about how Roz Baket lowered the dentist licensure standards at the request od Dr. Lily Geyer, then calked Lily Tsou, was reported by Pacific Business News:
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2005/05/23/story1.html?s=print
This happened in 2013 and only now the State is prosecuting the dentist?….murder indictments have been adjudicated quicker this…..
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Thanks for the comment. This is such an unhappy story of an innocent child.
the dentist was incompetent and she greedy for more fees, prescribing procedures that really should not have been done to a child at that age.
Agree aiea7. She was all about greed. Ripping off patients’ families and the Medicaid program.
She’ll be in jail for at least 20 years with that many counts.
Oh god! Here we go again. Yes we know that Geyer screwed up but really!? Is putting her in prison going to bring back the dead? I’m sure she has been a wreck since it happened and will never be the same again. She is not a criminal but rather an unfortunately, poorly trained professional, of which there are many out there, believe me. The lawyers got their money, the family got less money, but again, what good does the money do for the dead? It’s a terrible tragedy and conscious sedation is a tricky procedure that needs to be well trained. Life never promised to be fair and kind. We all need to remember that and tread a little more lightly. But even more importantly, pay attention, study hard and know that even greater than money, knowledge is power!
Mamakin, she is a criminal she broke the law!
Only if stupidity is illegal.