Elderly Navy Vet with Dementia Found Dead Inside Walk-In Freezer at Florida Assisted Living Facility [WATCH]

Authorities in Florida are investigating the death of an 83-year-old Navy veteran who was found deceased inside a walk-in freezer at an assisted living facility in Pasco County, as reported by The New York Post.

The victim, identified as William Eugene “Gene” Ray, had been living at the Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Trinity, Florida. Ray, a retired U.S. Navy veteran and father of two, had been struggling with advancing dementia.

His daughter, Kristen Spencer, said she installed a Ring camera in his room earlier this year to monitor his condition remotely.

83-year-old Navy Reserve veteran William Eugene Ray was found inside a walk-in freezer at the Waverly Assisted Living facility after going missing for hours. https://t.co/pDgcoHR9FD

— Fox 4 News (@Fox4Now) October 10, 2025

“You put your loved one in there with trust,” Spencer told Fox 13.

Ray’s family made the decision to move him into assisted living in May after his dementia worsened. On September 26, Spencer noticed through the Ring camera that the light in her father’s room was on, but he was nowhere to be seen.

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“I rewound the footage and saw that Dad left the room around 12:30 a.m. the night before and never came back,” Spencer told the outlet.

Alarmed, she called her mother, who immediately contacted the facility. Within a few hours, staff members discovered Ray’s body inside a walk-in freezer on the property.

“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 recounted.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office said in a preliminary statement that investigators found no signs of foul play. However, the family is demanding answers about how the elderly resident was able to access a restricted area and remain undetected for hours.

“If we had not called the facility, when would they have found him?” Spencer asked. “When you have vulnerable people in a place, you have to secure these areas.”

William Eugene Ray, a vulnerable memory care resident, was found dead in his assisted living facility’s walk in freezer. This can only result from a series of stacked failures at the ALF. Our FL assisted living facility negligence attorney’s analysis:https://t.co/D1oaVdwbBS

— Senior Justice Law Firm (@Senior__Justice) October 12, 2025

Spencer told Fox 13 that her father had experienced “no issues” since moving into the facility, though she had noticed “little things” that raised concerns over time.

In a public statement, Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care said the incident was unprecedented and that staff acted swiftly once Ray was discovered.

“We have never experienced an incident of this nature in the many years of operating in the Assisted Living space,” the facility said.

“Our community is deeply saddened by this heartbreaking loss. The grief felt by our entire staff is indescribable. We are truly proud of our staff’s profound and immediate response to the situation and grateful for their continued compassion, dedication, and professionalism.”

The facility also urged the public to refrain from leaving “unmoderated, anonymous, non-factual reviews” online while the investigation continues.

Ray, who joined the U.S. Navy at age 17, served for 36 years before retiring. After his military career, he worked for a private land surveying company and later joined the Department of Transportation in Bartow, Florida.

His family now hopes his death will prompt stricter safety protocols in assisted living facilities across the state. “We want to make sure no other family will have to endure what we have,” Spencer said.

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