An Indiana couple has been accused of neglecting an elderly man who was “sunken” into the sofa before he died.
Frederick, 60, and Carmen Groves, 49, have been charged with neglecting a dependant resulting in death after the discovery of Carmen’s deceased 73-year-old father, Kenneth Rickenbaugh.
According to reports from the Evansville Courier & Press, WFIE, and WEHT, which all quoted a police affidavit, Frederick allegedly contacted police on June 23 to report his father-in-law’s death. When officers arrived, Rickenbaugh was discovered in a feces-smelling room with pieces of his skin attached to a couch, according to reports.
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According to online prison and court documents, Frederick and Carmen are charged with neglecting a dependent, changing the scene of death, and failing to disclose human remains, with Frederick being charged with exploitation of a dependent or endangered adult.
On August 16, both were booked into prison.
Frederick and Carmen Groves’ attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment. It is not apparent whether any defendant has filed a plea.
According to the affidavit, police officers who rushed to the Evansville residence noticed that the floor had just been swept. According to WEHT’s reporting on the affidavit, police claim that Frederick confirmed in an interview that he never went inside the room where Rickenbaugh was discovered and that Carmen fed the old man. According to the Courier & Press, Frederick claimed to police that his father-in-law was bedridden and received no attention.
According to the complaint, Frederick told officers that he presumed Rickenbaugh urinated and defecated on himself while sitting on the couch, and that he heard his father-in-law yell out, “Help.”
Both Frederick and Carmen have hearings planned for September 30.
According to jail records, Frederick and Carmen are each being detained on a $100,000 bail.