Navy Veteran Found Dead After Going Missing from Assisted Living Facility
A heartbreaking tragedy has shaken a Florida community after 83-year-old Navy veteran William Eugene “Gene” Ray was found dead inside a walk-in freezer at The Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care in Trinity, Florida.
Gene, a retired U.S. Navy veteran who served his country for 36 years, had been living at the facility since May due to dementia. His daughter, Kristen Spencer, said she trusted the residence to keep her father safe and cared for.
Late on the night of September 26, Kristen checked the Ring camera she had installed in her father’s room and noticed that he had left around 12:30 a.m. and never returned. She immediately contacted the staff, but it took several hours before they discovered the devastating truth. Around 8 a.m., authorities found Gene inside the facility’s walk-in freezer, unresponsive. Despite efforts to save him, he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators believe the incident was accidental, and no foul play is suspected, though the circumstances surrounding how he gained access to a restricted area remain under review.