An investigation is underway in Florida after an elderly man was reportedly found dead at his assisted living facility last month.
Eugene Ray, 83, was found in a walk-in freezer at The Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care in Trinity on September 26. Ray’s daughter told WTVT that she had contacted the facility after noticing concerning footage on a Ring camera that she had installed in his room.
“I woke up the next morning, and when I looked at the Ring camera, the light was on, and he was not in his room,” she recalled.
Ray’s daughter said she called The Waverly before going there with her mother. Staff reportedly searched for Ray and moved his daughter and wife to a conference room.
Eight hours after Ray’s disappearance, staff informed his daughter and wife that they had found him dead in a walk-in freezer.
“I couldn’t even believe the words that I was hearing. How could this happen? Basic safety measures were not in place to secure the kitchen,” the daughter told WFTS.
A doctor allegedly told them that they performed CPR, but his core body temperature was 66 degrees — suggesting he had been dead for some time. The Pasco County medical examiner confirmed he died of hypothermia.
WTVT reported that Ray moved into The Waverly in May. His daughter said he was physically active but was showing signs of having dementia.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Agency for Health Care Administration are investigating Ray’s death.
“We need answers, we need answers,” his daughter told WTVT. “How could this happen?”
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[Feature Photo: WTVT]
