Navy Veteran With Dementia Found Dead in Assisted Living Freezer, Family Files Wrongful Death Notice.

Trinity, Florida — An 83-year-old Navy Reserve veteran with dementia died from hypothermia after being trapped for hours in a walk-in freezer at his assisted living facility, prompting his family to file a wrongful death lawsuit and raising urgent questions about safety protocols for vulnerable residents.

The Tragedy

William Eugene Ray, known as "Gene," was discovered inside a walk-in freezer at The Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care in Trinity on the morning of September 26, 2025. He had been missing from his room for nearly eight hours.

According to surveillance footage reviewed by his daughter Kristen Spencer, Ray left his room at 12:33 a.m. Spencer discovered he was missing when she checked her Ring camera feed that morning and immediately notified the facility and rushed there with her mother, Carol, Gene's wife of 56 years.

Staff searched the premises but did not locate Ray until approximately 8 a.m., when the facility administrator delivered devastating news to the family.

"She said he was in the freezer," Spencer recalled. "I couldn't even believe the words that I was hearing."

Emergency medical services transported Ray to Trinity Medical Center, located across the parking lot from the facility. But it was too late.

"The doctor came out and told us that he had coded and that they were performing CPR on him. But it was futile," Spencer said. "His core body temperature was 66 degrees."

According to the Pasco County Medical Examiner's preliminary report, the cause of death was hypothermia. Ray was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital.

A Life of Service and Joy

Gene Ray enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve at age 17 and served his country for more than three decades. On October 4, 2025, he was laid to rest with full military honors, with Carol receiving his burial flag at the ceremony.

Beyond his military service, Ray was remembered as a loving husband, father, and grandfather who brought joy to everyone around him. An artistic man with a creative spirit, he built intricate models of bridges and battleships for his grandson and drew detailed pictures of planes and muscle cars.

His signature pastime was playing the harmonica, which he performed regularly for staff and fellow residents at The Waverly.

"He played the harmonica. I mean, he loved to play the harmonica," Spencer said, sharing videos of her father entertaining others with his music. "He was just so hardworking. His work ethic was incredible."

That harmonica is now among the family's most treasured keepsakes.

The Decision to Seek Care

Ray moved into The Waverly on May 19, 2025, as his dementia progressed to a point where his wife could no longer safely care for him at home.

"He had dementia, and it was getting to a point where my mom just couldn't handle it," Spencer explained.

The facility, which opened just a year earlier, seemed ideal. Its website advertises "Elegance in living, excellence in service," and Spencer was initially impressed.

"It's beautiful. Everything was decorated so beautifully," she said.

However, concerns soon emerged about staffing levels at the facility, prompting the family to install a Ring camera in Ray's room to monitor his care remotely.

"There were issues with staffing that we were aware of. That caused concern for us," Spencer said.

Critical Safety Failures

The family's attorney, Steve Barnes, has filed a notice of intent to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit alleging negligence and deviation from standards of care.

"How could this happen? Basic safety measures were not in place to secure the kitchen," Spencer said.

Barnes argues there were multiple points where the tragedy could have been prevented.

"Not just locks on two sets of doors, but how one of the residents at that time of night can be left to wander common areas of the building without somebody at least asking questions or seeing why he's down there," Barnes said.

The attorney emphasized that nearly eight hours passed between Ray leaving his room and being discovered—time during which no staff member apparently noticed his absence or his access to a dangerous area.

Investigation Underway

Both the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) are investigating the incident. According to The Waverly's representative, detectives spent 12 hours at the facility gathering evidence, and the facility turned over all interior surveillance footage from that day.

Florida Department of Health records show The Waverly had no documented violations prior to the September incident.

Facility's Response

The Waverly declined an on-camera interview, citing privacy concerns, but provided a statement defending its operations:

"At The Waverly, the safety and well-being of our residents is always our highest priority. We understand that families place great trust in us when choosing care for their loved ones, and we take that responsibility very seriously," the statement read.

The facility emphasized that it staffs "at more than double the minimum requirements established by AHCA" and maintains "separate Assisted Living and Memory Care neighborhoods, each with safeguards designed for the needs of their residents."

The statement added, "Because of privacy laws and our commitment to respect for residents and their families, we cannot discuss individual situations in a public forum."

A Disturbing Pattern

This incident is not without precedent. Attorney Barnes noted that his investigation uncovered a similar case in Utah last year.

In that case, 75-year-old Rickie Rubick was found trapped in a freezer at The Meadows at Escalante Assisted Living Facility. She died four days later from frostbite and hypothermia. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services fined that facility $11,200 for multiple violations and placed its license on conditional status.

"We've done some investigation and found out something very similar happened in Utah," Barnes said. "It needs not to happen again."

Family's Plea for Change

Spencer said her family wants accountability and systemic change to prevent other families from experiencing similar tragedies.

"They failed us. They failed my family. They failed my dad. That's the bottom line," she said. "In those moments with him locked in there all by himself for hours... I just—I don't even have words."

The family is calling for enhanced safety measures at assisted living facilities, including:

Secured access to potentially dangerous areas such as commercial kitchens and freezers

Improved monitoring systems to track residents with dementia

Better staffing protocols to ensure vulnerable residents are not left unattended for extended periods

Regular safety audits of facilities serving memory care residents

Spencer's message to other families is clear: "You put your loved one in there with trust. When you have vulnerable people in a place, you have to secure these areas."

The investigation remains ongoing. The Waverly has stated it is cooperating fully with authorities. No charges have been filed at this time.