Utah nurse accused of murder, faking patient's cancer diagnosis to claim life insurance

HIGHLAND, Utah (KUTV) — A registered nurse was arrested for aggravated murder after she allegedly convinced a Highland woman that she had terminal cancer and injected her with unprescribed insulin in an attempt to gather the victim’s life insurance claim, causing her to go brain-dead and eventually die.

This investigation began on Aug. 12, 2024, when Lone Peak police and firefighters were dispatched to a medical emergency in the area of 6000 West and Stevens Lane in Highland. The caller reported that they had found the victim unconscious and struggling to breathe as if she were drowning. They added that she had “major, major health issues.” Upon arrival, authorities located the victim in her bedroom, with 47-year-old Meggan Randall Sundwall.

Sundwall, a registered nurse, stated that the victim had been suffering for “several hours” when questioned by the caller. Sundwall stated that the victim, who was alleged to have had terminal cancer for the past four to five years, had signed a do-not-resuscitate order and did not want to go to the hospital.

Paramedics responded and reportedly located a diabetic needle. Police documents confirmed that the victim was not diabetic. She was transported to Mountain Point Hospital in Lehi, where her blood sugar level was found to be 14 — significantly below 40, which is considered life-threatening.

As the victim’s family was speaking to her primary care physician at the hospital, they were told that she never had cancer, her autopsy revealed no health issues, a do-not-resuscitate order was never located in her name, and there was no paperwork designating Sundwall as the victim’s power of attorney.

Police stated that the victim never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead by doctors. She died on Aug. 17, 72 hours after the initial 911 call was made.

Documents stated that Sundwall believed she was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million life insurance policy held by the victim and that evidence revealed she had been trying to kill her with insulin for years. A search of Sundwall’s phone unveiled over 28,000 texts between her and the victim dating back to Dec. 2019, including four years of messages “detailing different ways Meggan would kill herself if she was (the victim) and of Meggan offering to ‘help’ (her) die,” authorities disclosed.

Additional text messages revealed discussions between the two regarding Sundwall’s financial problems and how they would be resolved if she were to receive the victim’s life insurance payout.

Sundwall reportedly arrived at the victim’s house that morning shortly before 10 a.m. and admitted that she was the only person with her all day. At approximately 9:47 a.m., Sundwall texted the victim, asking, “Do you want to take some promethazine when I get there so that you are asleep when this is happening?”

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The medical examiner determined that the victim's cause of death was an overdose of promethazine, probable insulin, and other drugs. Her manner of death was ruled as undetermined.

Following the victim’s death, Sundwall reportedly searched for her life insurance policy and deleted over 900 texts from her phone in an effort to erase the evidence.

Sundwall was booked into the Utah County Jail on first-degree felony aggravated murder and third-degree felony obstruction of justice.

“That’s crazy, how could that happen here? I don’t know, I haven’t heard of anything like that in this area for all of these years,” Elaine Augustine said. Augustine has lived in the area for nearly two decades.

2News asked Lone Peak Police about when the last murder happened. One officer said that he hadn't seen one in his 12 years at the department until this.

“It’s really crazy is what it comes down to,” Augustine said.

The family said they were relieved after they heard about the arrest as they believed the suspect had been trying to kill their relative for years.

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