An Arizona woman says she was devastated to discover her elderly uncle’s body inside his assisted living facility after he had been dead for several days without anyone noticing.
Angela Boorn told Phoenix CBS affiliate KPHO that her 75-year-old uncle, Gerald McClellan, had been deceased in his chair for at least three to four days when she found him inside his room at LifeStream at Sun City, a facility located about 16 miles northwest of Phoenix.
“It looked like a skeleton in a chair,” Boorn said. “His face—his eyes were hollowed out.”
Boorn said she always greeted her uncle with, “Uncle, I’m here,” when visiting. But on Thursday, Oct. 16, she got no response. Alarmed, she rushed to the front desk and asked when staff had last checked on him.
The facility’s executive director told her that no one had checked on McClellan since at least the previous weekend.
Boorn had moved her uncle into the facility in January after his wife’s death, paying nearly $1,700 a month in rent and trusting that the staff would ensure his safety. LifeStream reportedly had a daily check-in system requiring residents to press a button each morning to confirm they were okay.
“Every day by 10 a.m., staff were supposed to check if he hadn’t pressed the button,” Boorn said. “He didn’t push it. They tried to call him, didn’t get a hold of him — and still didn’t go check. It wasn’t one day, it wasn’t two days, it was four.”
She is now speaking out to warn others with loved ones in assisted living centers. “Nobody should have to see that,” Boorn said. “It didn’t even look like a person because he had been there for so long. People who have family in there — check on them, because clearly the staff aren’t.”
It’s unclear if Boorn plans to take legal action against the facility.
In a statement, LifeStream at Sun City said:
“LifeStream at Sun City is deeply saddened by the passing of one of our residents. 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.”
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