Kristen Spencer was alarmed when her 83-year-old father, William Eugene “Gene” Ray, wasn’t in his room at a Florida assisted living facility. Hours later, he was found dead inside a walk-in freezer.
Ray, a retired U.S. Navy veteran with dementia, had been living at The Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care in Trinity since May. Spencer had installed a Ring camera in his room and noticed him leaving around 12:30 a.m. on September 26 — and never returning.
After alerting the facility, the family received the devastating call: “He’s in the freezer.” Authorities say Ray was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. The incident is under investigation, though no foul play is suspected.
“How did a dementia patient access a restricted area?” Spencer asked. “If we hadn’t called, when would they have found him?”
The facility expressed sorrow, calling the incident unprecedented and reaffirming their commitment to residents’ safety. Ray’s family remembers him as a kind, hardworking man who served his country for 36 years.
Now, they’re demanding answers — and accountability — to ensure this never happens again.