Woman gets jail in autistic client’s death

A caretaker charged after her autistic client wandered out of a department store last year and was later found dead has pleaded guilty to neglect of a care-dependent person.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that 31-year-old Hussantu Wulu was immediately sentenced under a plea agreement to 11 1/2 to 23 months in prison.

Authorities said Wulu took 37-year-old Christina Sankey into a Macy’s in downtown Philadelphia in March of last year. The woman, who suffered severe disabilities, walked out of the store.

The following morning, police found her body about four miles away in West Philadelphia. A medical examiner ruled the cause of death as exposure to the cold.

Prosecutors said Wulu had cared for the victim for four years and should have known not to let her wander away.