by TRINITY, Fla. — A grieving Florida family is demanding accountability after 83-year-old William “Gene” Ray was found dead inside a walk-in freezer at The Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care in Trinity. The shocking discovery has sparked widespread concern about safety measures and supervision standards at senior care facilities across the state.
Elderly Veteran Found in Facility Freezer
According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to The Waverly around 8 a.m. after staff found Ray inside a freezer on the property. Emergency responders from Pasco County Fire Rescue attempted to revive him, but Ray was pronounced dead shortly after being transported for medical treatment.
Authorities say preliminary findings suggest the incident was accidental, and no foul play is suspected. However, Ray’s family is struggling to understand how a vulnerable resident could have accessed a restricted area without staff noticing.
“He Was in the Freezer” — Daughter’s Shock
Ray’s daughter, Kristen Spencer, described her father as a gentle, hardworking man and a 36-year U.S. Navy veteran who had recently begun showing signs of dementia.
“He was funny, artistic, and creative — always smiling,” Spencer told reporters. “He never raised his voice and worked hard his entire life. He deserved better than this.”
Spencer said her father moved into The Waverly in May so he could receive specialized memory care. At first, the facility appeared to meet their expectations, but over time, she noticed troubling signs.
“There were small things — little red flags — that made me uneasy,” she said. “You put your loved one there because you trust they’ll be cared for.”
Monitoring Her Father Through Ring Camera
To ease her concerns, Spencer installed a Ring camera in her father’s room so she could monitor him remotely. In the weeks before his death, she observed that he appeared increasingly confused and restless.
On the night of the incident, Spencer noticed something strange on the camera feed. “When I checked the footage later, the light in his room was on, and he was gone,” she recalled. “It was around 12:30 a.m. when he left the room.”
Panicked, she called her mother and immediately contacted the facility to alert staff. After a tense wait, a staff member informed her that her father had been found — but not where she expected.
“The next words were, ‘He’s in the freezer,’” Spencer said through tears. “I couldn’t even process what I was hearing. How could that be possible?”
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Facility Staffing and Safety Concerns
Family members say they had raised previous concerns about staffing shortages and security at The Waverly. Spencer believes her father may have become disoriented and accidentally wandered into the freezer during the night.
“This could have been prevented,” she said. “When you have vulnerable people in your care, there have to be basic safety measures — alarms, locked doors, motion alerts — something to stop this from happening.”
State records show that The Waverly is operated by Wellness Center of Trinity LLC, which has been the owner and licensee since 2018.
Officials from The Waverly have not publicly commented on the incident. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is expected to review the case, as is standard when a resident death occurs under unusual circumstances.
Family Calls for Change
Ray’s family is now calling for stricter regulations and better oversight of memory care facilities across Florida. They say they plan to advocate for reforms so that no other family experiences such a tragedy.
“We need answers — we need change,” Spencer said. “No family should ever have to endure what we’ve endured. My father survived wars and served his country for 36 years, but he didn’t deserve to die like this.”
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains open pending autopsy results, though there is no indication of criminal intent.
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