Women accused of impersonating nurses, stealing from seniors

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Gina Hernandez (left), and Elsa Vasquez. (Hays County Sheriff's Office)

BUDA, Texas - Two Austin women are accused of impersonating nurses and stealing from elderly people in Hays County.

What we know:

Gina Hernandez and Elsa Vasquez have been charged in connection with a series of thefts from residents at a senior living community in Buda.

The Hays County Sheriff's Office says that various reports involved a "variation of a common theme": a woman in scrubs represented herself as a nurse or health attendant and distracted the victims with a health evaluation.

However, after that "unexpected" visit, the victims discovered their wallets were missing, along with various identifying and financial documents. Some only became aware of the theft after receiving inquiries about suspicious activity from their banks.

Hernandez and Vasquez were identified as suspects through the investigation and HCSO learned the two attempted to use the victims' bank cards at Austin-area restaurants and businesses to buy TVs, smartwatches and other items.

It was also confirmed that neither one are licensed nurses with the Texas Board of Nursing.

The charges

Dig deeper:

Hernandez has been charged with:

• 12 counts of third-degree felony credit/debit card abuse of the elderly
• 3 counts of third-degree felony theft from an elderly individual
• 3 counts of third-degree felony exploitation of the elderly
• 3 counts of impersonating a nurse, a Class A misdemeanor

Vasquez has been charged with:

• 12 counts of third-degree felony credit/debit card abuse of the elderly
• 4 counts of third-degree felony theft from an elderly individual
• 3 counts of third-degree felony exploitation of the elderly
• 3 counts of impersonating a nurse, a Class A misdemeanor

HCSO says that the pair are believed to have operated in the Central Texas area between Georgetown and Kyle and had multiple outstanding warrants for similar offenses from area agencies.

Hernandez is also facing charges in Travis County, including

• 3 counts of second-degree felony burglary of a habitation
• 2 counts of third-degree felony credit/debit card abuse of the elderly
• 1 count of third-degree felony exploitation of the elderly

She also has two charges of third-degree felony credit/debit card abuse of the elderly in Williamson County.

What's next:

The pair were arrested on May 8 by the Austin Police Department and booked into the Travis County Jail.

Hernandez is still in the Travis County Jail on a collective $214,000 bond for the Hays County charges. Vasquez was released on a collective $22,000 bond for the Hays County charges.

What you can do:

Residents are encouraged to be mindful of visits from unknown persons and may request a patrol deputy’s response to suspicious persons or activity by calling 512-393-7896.

There may be additional victims who have not yet come forward. Additional victims or anyone with information related to this case may contact Det. Jessica Barkley by email.