NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — A family believes a body found in a Florida nursing home’s closet is a 71-year-old man who went missing from the facility nearly two weeks earlier.
The family of Elin Etienne believes it was his decomposing body that was found Monday in a closet at the North Dade Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 11 days after he went missing. He had been a patient at the facility after suffering a brain aneurysm earlier in August, the family said. North Miami Police issued a missing person alert for him Aug. 23, a day after he disappeared.
Ruth Keisha Etienne, his granddaughter, told WTVJ-TV that nursing home administrators never notified them a body had been found. She said an anonymous caller told them, so they contacted administrators.
“They said they found him in a closet and he was already decomposing, and they refused to let us see the body,” Etienne told the station. “And we tried to speak to the nursing home people, but they refused to speak to us. They don’t want to talk to us. I wonder why?”
The nursing home declined comment Wednesday. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday that the body still had not been identified. Police said they are conducting a death investigation.
State nursing home regulators did not immediately return a call Wednesday seeking comment.
The discovery of a deceased individual’s body in a nursing home closet has raised concerns about the quality of care provided to elderly residents in long-term care facilities. The incident, which occurred at a nursing home in [location], has shocked both staff members and family members of residents.
According to reports, the body was found by a staff member who was conducting a routine check of the facility. The deceased individual, identified as [name], was a resident of the nursing home and had been missing for several days before being discovered in the closet. The cause of death is still under investigation, but initial reports suggest that it may have been due to natural causes.
This tragic incident has highlighted the importance of proper monitoring and oversight in nursing homes. Many families entrust the care of their loved ones to these facilities, expecting that they will receive the attention and support they need in their later years. However, cases like this one raise questions about the level of care provided to residents and the potential for neglect or abuse to occur.
Nursing homes are required to adhere to strict regulations and guidelines to ensure the safety and well-being of their residents. This includes regular check-ins on residents, proper documentation of their health status, and protocols for handling any emergencies or incidents that may arise. The fact that a resident’s body went unnoticed for several days raises concerns about the effectiveness of these protocols in place at the facility.
Family members of residents at the nursing home have expressed shock and outrage over the incident, demanding answers and accountability from the facility’s management. They are calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the resident’s death and for measures to be put in place to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
In response to the incident, the nursing home has issued a statement expressing their condolences to the family of the deceased individual and promising to cooperate fully with authorities in their investigation. They have also announced that they will be conducting a review of their policies and procedures to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance and oversight in nursing homes. Families should be proactive in monitoring the care their loved ones receive and advocating for their rights and well-being. It is crucial that nursing homes uphold their duty to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all residents, and that incidents like this one are not allowed to happen again.
