Mae Mason was a 79-year-old resident of Alpine Manor nursing home in Walker, Michigan, who was killed in 1987 by staff members entrusted with her care. She is one of five known victims in a series of smotherings carried out by two nurse’s aides who had formed a relationship after meeting at the facility in 1986. The aides allegedly took turns acting as lookout while the other smothered selected residents.

The pattern remained hidden for a time because several deaths were initially attributed to age and illness. The case broke open in 1988 when one aide confessed the killings to her ex-husband, who reported it to police. That disclosure led to interviews, arrest warrants, and the December 1988 arrests of both women. At trial, one aide testified against the other as part of a plea deal; the alleged instigator was convicted of multiple murders and given life terms, while the other received reduced convictions and prison terms.