Gary Dean Johnson left the body of his wife, Evamarie Macgregor, at home for days instead of seeking help, police said. (Mug shot: Bay County Sheriff’s Office)
A man is accused of leaving his dead wife on the living room floor for days as his dogs chewed on her remains. The defendant, Gary Dean Johnson, 60, allegedly told cops in Panama City Beach, Florida, that he did it because he “did not want to lose her.”
According to the arrest affidavit, police received an emergency call from Johnson on Saturday.
“The resident of the above address, Mr. Gary Johnson, contacted 911 and advised an unknown person was in his home, and that his wife, Ms. Evamarie Macgregor, was laying on the floor and he believed she was deceased,” officers wrote.
Cops arrived shortly after and tried to make contact with Johnson, but there was no answer, documents stated.
Looking through the front window, one of the responding officers saw a woman lying supine on the living room floor, blood appearing to be around her, according to the affidavit.
Cops forced their way inside the home after they unsuccessfully tried again to get an answer. They finally managed to get in touch with Johnson.
“Ms. Macgregor was obviously deceased with the skin missing from her face and her entire left foot was completely removed from her leg,” offices wrote. “On scene, Mr. Johnson appeared to be disoriented and not lucid. Mr. Johnson stated his two dogs had chewed on Ms. Macgregor’s foot explaining why her foot was removed and missing.”
At the police department, after receiving his Miranda rights, Johnson told that he remembered his wife calling for help from the living room. She was already dead by the time he made it to her, he said.
“Mr. Johnson stated this happened approximately 4 days ago and at that time he knew she was deceased,” officers said. “Mr. Johnson then kept her in the floor of the living room because he did not want to lose her. Mr. Johnson knew he should have called law enforcement or medical help when the medical episode occurred with Ms. Macgregor. It should be noted by the level of decomposition of Ms. Macgregor she appeared to have been deceased for over 5 days.”
Johnson remains at the Bay County jail on a $5,000 bond for improper storage of human remains.
A staffer for the local public defender’s office told Law&Crime that they will formally pick up the case Wednesday at arraignment, but that even then, they would not comment on it.
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