NORTH MIAMI, Fla. (WSVN) – A family is demanding answers after a 71-year-old man recovering from a stroke was found dead at a Florida rehabilitation center more than a week after they were told he checked himself out of the facility.
The body of 71-year-old Elin Etienne was found Monday morning in a storage room at North Dade Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, according to North Miami Police. He was identified by the wristband that had his name on it.
“We thought that he went missing. We never expected him to be dead in the nursing home,” said the victim’s granddaughter, Ruth Keisha Etienne.
The 71-year-old was admitted to the rehab center Aug. 14. He was recovering from a stroke, his family says, and he was also diagnosed with dementia. The family says they received a call Aug. 22 that he had left the facility, prompting them to file a missing persons report with police.
“They said that he signed himself out. He doesn’t have the capacity to sign himself out,” said Kimberly Elle, one of the victim’s relatives.
Days later, a check of Elin Etienne’s room at the facility showed his belongings were still there.
Then, an anonymous staff member at the rehab center contacted the family Monday and told them the 71-year-old’s body was found in another room.
The family says the facility’s administrators are now refusing to speak to them. They are stuck waiting to learn exactly when and how Elin Etienne died.
“The entire family is here, and there’s been no answers,” Elle said.
They fear the 71-year-old went days without food, water or his medication.
“That’s horrifying because that means he died alone and he died suffering,” said the victim’s niece, Rivly Bruce.
The heartbroken family is now stressing the importance of checking in on your loved ones.
The rehab center said in a statement Tuesday that it is cooperating with law enforcement and its state regulatory partners as the situation is investigated.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family members affected by this devastating event,” the statement read in part.
According to police, the rehab center said Elin Etienne was not diagnosed with dementia, but his family disputes that claim.
Copyright 2024 WSVN via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.