An 83-year-old U.S. Navy veteran suffering from dementia was found dead inside a walk-in freezer at a Florida assisted living facility after his daughter noticed he was missing from his room.
William Eugene “Gene” Ray, a father of two and retired Navy serviceman, had been living at the Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Trinity, Florida. His daughter, Kristen Spencer, said she had grown increasingly worried about her father’s worsening dementia over the summer, and installed a Ring camera in his room to help monitor him remotely.
“You put your loved one in there with trust,” Spencer told Fox 13.
Daughter discovers her father is missing
Spencer said her father’s health had declined noticeably since moving into the facility in May, but she trusted that the trained staff would keep him safe. That trust was shattered on September 26, when she checked her Ring camera and noticed something was wrong.
“The light was on, but my dad was not in his room,” she recalled.
When she reviewed the footage, Spencer saw her father leaving his room around 12:30AM and never returning. Alarmed, she called her mother, who immediately contacted the Waverly staff. A few hours later, Spencer received the call that would change everything.
“She [the staff member] said, ‘We found him,’” Spencer recounted. “But then the next words out of her mouth were, ‘He’s in the freezer.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean he’s in the freezer?’”
Police: no signs of foul play
According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, preliminary findings suggest there were no signs of foul play in Ray’s death. However, the circumstances surrounding how an elderly dementia patient managed to access a restricted freezer area remain under investigation.
Spencer said there had been “no major issues” with her father’s care before the incident, but admitted that “little things” had begun to raise red flags in recent weeks, according to the New York Post.
“If we had not called the facility, when would they have found him?” she questioned. “When you have vulnerable people in a place, you have to secure these areas.”
Facility responds to outcry
In a public statement, the Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care facility expressed its devastation over the tragedy and defended its staff, urging the public to avoid spreading misinformation online.
“Our community is deeply saddened by this heartbreaking loss,” the statement read, via PEOPLE. “We are truly proud of our staff’s immediate response and grateful for their continued compassion, dedication, and professionalism.”
The facility emphasized that this was an unprecedented incident in its years of operation, adding: “We remain confident in the high level of service, comfort, and care we provide our residents.”
A life of service remembered
William “Gene” Ray joined the U.S. Navy at age 17, serving for 36 years before retiring with honor, as per his obituary. After his military service, he continued to contribute to his community by working in land surveying and later with the Florida Department of Transportation in Bartow.
Friends and family remembered him as a devoted father, veteran, and friend who brought joy to everyone around him.
Now, his loved ones say they are seeking accountability and changes in elder care safety protocols — to ensure no other family experiences such a devastating loss.