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Who was William Eugene Ray? Navy veteran, 83, with dementia found dead in freezer at Florida care home
William Eugene Ray, 83, a Navy veteran with dementia, was found dead in a walk-in freezer at his Florida assisted living home.
An 83-year-old Navy veteran with dementia was found dead inside a walk-in freezer at a Florida assisted living home after his daughter noticed he was missing from his room.
William Eugene Ray, a father of two, had been living at the Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care in Trinity since May. His daughter, Kristen Spencer, installed a Ring camera in his room to monitor him as his dementia worsened.
Who was William Eugene Ray?
Ray, known as Gene to family and friends, joined the Navy at 17 and served 36 years before retiring. After his military service, he worked in land surveying and later for the Florida Department of Transportation.
“You put your loved one in there with trust,” she told Fox 13.
On Sept. 26, Spencer checked the camera and saw her father’s room light on but no sign of him. When she reviewed earlier footage, she saw he had walked out around 12:30 a.m. and never returned.
Spencer contacted her mother, who called the facility. Hours later, staff members found Ray’s body inside a walk-in freezer.
“But then the next words out of her mouth was, ‘He’s in the freezer.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean he’s in the freezer?’” Spencer said.
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office reported no signs of foul play
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office reported no signs of foul play in the initial investigation.
Spencer said her father’s stay had been mostly uneventful until “little things” started to raise concerns. Now, the family wants answers.
“If we had not called the facility, when would they have found them?” Spencer asked.
She added, “When you have vulnerable people in a place, you have to secure these areas.”
The Waverly released a statement defending its staff and asking the public to stop posting “unmoderated, anonymous, non-factual reviews” online.
"We have never experienced an incident of this nature in the many years of operating in the Assisted Living space. Our community is deeply saddened by this heartbreaking loss,” the facility said. “We are truly proud of our staff’s profound and immediate response to the situation and grateful for their continued compassion, dedication and professionalism.”
