Couldn’T Do Much For Elderly Woman, Social Workers Say 92-Year-Old Shared Filthy Trailer With Son
Social services officials say there’s little they could have done to remove a 92-year-old woman from the filthy trailer she shared with her son.
Reatha Cass’ body was found early Wednesday in the trailer she shared with her 63-year-old son, Jerry Cass.
Police found her body in the trailer filled with at least 2 feet of trash, flies and feces.
Jerry Cass was arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a vulnerable adult, since Cass was an invalid.
Investigators with Idaho’s Aging and Adult Services, which looks into complaints of caregiver abuse or selfneglect, say Idaho’s laws don’t allow them to remove a cognizant adult from such situations.
“If they say, `I’m happy here. Butt out of my life,’ we have to,” said Debra Gordon, director of North Idaho’s Aging and Adult Services in Coeur d’Alene. “It’s hard for the community to understand that.”
Gordon said her investigators have seen adults locked in upstairs rooms with no access to bathrooms or food. They’ve found older adults living in homes with 52 cats and seen caregivers exploiting people for money.
However, if the adults are not deemed `vulnerable,’ and they say they wish to stay where they’re at, investigators must agree.
“We have to stay by the letter of the law,” she said.
Gordon could not comment whether her inspectors had been called out to the Cass’ trailer.
Panhandle Health District officials said they have no jurisdiction on the conditions of the inside of a home.
“We don’t go inside houses. Everything stops at the door,” said Panhandle Health inspector Nick Motzney.
Police do have the authority to investigate complaints of abuse and neglect. But the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, which is now investigating Cass’ death, never received a complaint about the woman’s living conditions, said Lt. Mike Gunderson.
“I don’t recall seeing any,” he said.
An autopsy has been completed, but police won’t release the results until they receive a written copy of the autopsy report, Gunderson said.