2 charged after man in their care found dead on couch in his own waste, officials say

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - Two people in Indiana have been charged after a man under their care was left to die in his own waste, according to officials.

Authorities said 49-year-old Carmen Groves and 60-year-old Frederick Groves were taken into custody over the weekend.

In June, Frederick Groves called 911 to report his father-in-law, Kenneth Rickenbaugh, had died inside the couple’s home on Fourth Avenue in Evansville.

Before the Groves were arrested, they reportedly agreed to speak to WFIE about the situation.

“When I went in there and seen him in my own home, it frightened me,” Carmen Groves said of discovering Rickenbaugh’s body.

Emergency responders told police rigor mortis had already set in.

Police say Rickenbaugh was found on his back on a couch in his room. He was obviously emaciated, and his knees were bent to his chest in a fetal position.

Police said they found him with flies buzzing around, and the room smelled heavily of feces.

“Friday [June 21] he was sitting up, he was talking, he was eating, he was drinking,” Carmen Groves said. “Then all the sudden I went in there Sunday [June 23] and he was deceased.”

Officials said they noticed the room had just been mopped when they arrived.

Officials said when they removed Rickenbaugh from the couch, they discovered he was “sunken into it,” and some of the couch’s stuffing came up with him.

They said the couch was soaked with feces, urine and blood from pressure sores.

Police said the Groves told them Rickenbaugh had been living with them for about a year and had been bedridden for about a month.

Frederick Groves told officers he never goes into the room where Rickenbaugh stayed. When asked who would help Rickenbaugh make it to the restroom, Frederick Groves reportedly told them he assumed he just goes to the bathroom on himself on the couch.

“He would never go to the bathroom,” Carmen Groves said. “He would either use in his pants or it got to the point that I went and got him Pullups. He’d take them off and throw them everywhere.”

Frederick Groves said he couldn’t go into the room because it smelled “just like death.”

He told authorities that Carmen Groves was the one who fed Rickenbaugh.

Frederick Groves also reportedly told police he had always heard Rickenbaugh saying, “Help. Help.”

After Rickenbaugh died, the Groves said they mopped the floor clean of dog feces because they didn’t want it to get in the way.

Officials said Carmen Groves’ story seemed to change several times as they spoke with her, including when Rickenbaugh actually died.

They said her statements included her belief that Rickenbaugh fakes his disability so she would have to take care of him.

Police also said the only bathroom in the house was not close to being big enough for a wheelchair due to it being cluttered with objects and debris.

Officials also said Rickenbaugh gets a social security check every month but he does not have access to it. The money in the account was being used by the Groves to buy things for themselves, investigators said.

A coroner’s report shows Rickenbaugh’s death was due to atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, emphysema, failure to thrive, dehydration and pressure sores.

The Groves were also charged with altering the scene of death and failure to report human remains.

They both have $100,000 bonds.

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