10th person dies in Hollywood nursing home tragedy

Sept. 21--A tenth nursing home patient died Wednesday, a week after the tragedy at the Rehabilitation Center in Hollywood Hills began to unfold.

The latest victim was identified as Martha Murray, 94. According to Broward Medical Examiner Dr. Craig Mallak, she died at 7:55 p.m.

When reached by phone Thursday afternoon, her son William Murray said his mother died while in hospice following the nursing home's evacuation.

"I really don't want to talk about it right now, I've got too much on my plate," he said. "She was a good mother and homemaker, that's about all I can say."

William Murray was trying to come to terms with the week's events: the deaths of fellow nursing home residents in a sweltering building that proved fatal after Hurricane Irma swept through the state. He did not yet know who was to blame, but felt guilt-ridden.

"I'm just struggling with it," he said. "I don't understand how she went from going in there and... I don't know what happened. I'm just sorry I put her there."

On Tuesday, Carlos Canal, 93, was the nursing home's ninth fatality, officials said.

Canal, 93, brought his family of five from Cuba to Miami in 1961 and refused to leave the area even after his son moved to Georgia and his daughter to Texas. Both offered to take him in after he fell ill two years ago and required constant care and supervision, but South Florida was his home and he was determined to stay, said his son, Mario Canal.

"He did not want to leave Miami," his son said. "This guy was strong. That's why he was the last one to go."

Canal worked various jobs in the 50 years after he came to Florida. He worked in hotels. He sold products for Goya. He was a milkman. But his dream was to run a tobacco shop, and he achieved it in the 1990s. For a decade, he owned the Havanaland shop on West Flagler Street, his son said. It thrilled him.

The shop closed in 2003. Canal continued to work various jobs until about two years ago, when his health began to deteriorate. His oldest son died in the 1990s. He and his wife separated about the same time the shop closed, though they never divorced, his son said. He came to the Rehabilitation Center in 2015.

Canal and his son spoke often. Their conversations followed a similar pattern every time -- "How's the family? How's work? Are you still driving a truck? OK, bye."

After Canal was evacuated from the center last Wednesday, a friend of his son's paid him a visit. Though Canal was unable to speak at that point, he became animated when he heard his son's name. But they would never speak again.

"I just can't believe it," his son said.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Ten have died after power outages from Hurricane Irma cut off the air conditioning at the Rehabilitation Center in Hollywood Hills.

sbryan@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4554 or visit our 'Sun Sentinel: Hollywood' page at SunSentinel.com/facebookhollywood

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