An investigation is underway in Florida after an elderly man was reportedly found dead at his assisted living facility last month.
Eugene Ray, aged 83, was discovered in a walk-in freezer at The Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care in Trinity on September 26. Ray’s daughter revealed to WTVT that she had reached out to the facility after observing disturbing footage on a Ring camera that she had set up 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 mentioned that she contacted The Waverly before arriving there with her mother. The staff reportedly began a search for Ray and escorted 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 was in disbelief at what I was hearing. How could this have occurred? Elementary safety measures were not implemented to secure the kitchen,” the daughter expressed to WFTS.
A doctor allegedly informed them that CPR was performed, but his core body temperature was measured at 66 degrees — indicating he had been deceased for some time. The Pasco County medical examiner confirmed hypothermia as the cause of death.
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?”
[Feature Photo: WTVT]
