Inset: Gerald McClellan, who was found dead in his room at an Arizona assisted living facility (KPHO). Background: The LifeStream at Sun City facility where McClellan had been living (KPHO).
An Arizona woman recently experienced a harrowing discovery at an assisted living facility where her elderly uncle resided. She was shocked to find his lifeless body sitting in a chair, appearing as though it had been “hollowed out.”
Angela Boorn recounted her distressing experience, which was later corroborated by authorities in a conversation with Phoenix CBS affiliate KPHO. Her uncle, 75-year-old Gerald McClellan, had been deceased inside the West Valley assisted living facility for several days, with estimates suggesting he passed away three to four days prior. LifeStream at Sun City, the facility in question, is situated approximately 16 miles northwest of Phoenix.
Describing her uncle as a second father, Boorn expressed her deep sorrow upon discovering that he had been neglected for days, leaving her to find him in such a state.
“He looked like a skeleton in a chair,” Boorn recalled, noting the gauntness of McClellan’s face and the hollow appearance of his eyes.
Boorn shared that she had a routine of entering McClellan’s room with a cheerful greeting, “Uncle, I’m here.” However, on Thursday, October 16, she was met with silence, leading to the grim realization.
In a state of panic, Boorn ran to the front desk, urgently questioning the staff about the last time they had checked on her uncle. According to LifeStream’s executive director, no staff members had visited McClellan’s room since the previous weekend, a fact that compounded the tragedy.
Boorn told the station she moved her uncle to LifeStream in January following the death of his wife. She said that before her aunt died, Boorn promised she would take care of McClellan, emphasizing that she was paying the nearly $1,700 monthly rent because she believed there were mechanisms in place to prevent things like this from happening.
One of those mechanisms included a button in every room that residents were supposed push in the morning, signaling to the staff that they were alright.
“Every day by 10 a.m., a staffing member was supposed to reach out to him or come check on him,” Boorn said. “He didn’t push the button; they tried to call him, didn’t get a hold of him, and they still did not go check on him. It wasn’t one day, it wasn’t two days, it wasn’t three days, it was four.”
Boorn told the station she was speaking out so other people who had loved ones staying at the facility knew what may be going on.
“Nobody should have to see that. It didn’t even look like a person because he had been there for so long,” she said. “People who do have family in there, check on your family member because clearly they’re not doing it.”
It was not immediately clear if Boorn planned to take any legal action against LifeStream.
The facility issued a statement in response to the incident.
“LifeStream at Sun City is deeply saddened by the passing of one of our residents,” the statement said. “Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to their family and loved ones during this difficult time. We extend our sincere gratitude to emergency responders for their compassion, professionalism, and support.”
