(CNN) The body of a missing veteran was found in a stairwell on the campus of a Massachusetts VA hospital one month after he was reported missing.
The 62-year-old man was found dead in a building on the Bedford Veteran Affairs Hospital campus in Bedford on Friday by another resident, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's office.
The man, who the district attorney's office declined to name was last seen at the facility on May 8 and had been reported missing on May 13. He was found wearing the same clothing he was reported missing in. The DA's office is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of his death, Meghan Kelly, a spokeswoman, told CNN.
The man was a resident of Caritas Communities, a non-profit dedicated to preventing homelessness, Kelly confirmed.
The organization runs a residential facility called Bedford Veterans Quarters in a space it leases in a section of a building on the VA campus, Caritas said in a news release. The organization provides "on-site staffing to refer and help residents connect to counseling, medical treatment, employment and other services at the VA," the news release said.
EyeBleachPlox on June 16th, 2020 at 13:16 UTC »
What's important to note here though is that this guy was a resident of Caritas Communities, a nonprofit that leases space on the VA campus. He was not under the care of the VA. Although this doesn't excuse the fact that his body went unnoticed in a stairwell for weeks.
ForSquirel on June 16th, 2020 at 12:52 UTC »
This just doesn't sit right. Was he there the whole month? I mean, someone would have noticed the smell after the first few days.
Or did he wander off and come back?
Chaserly on June 16th, 2020 at 09:50 UTC »
That was a sad read. I imagine they have security guards that patrol but each organization basically said “don’t go to the stairwell that’s outside of our scope” and thus resulted in the man not being found for a long period of time.