Couple deliberately watch as 73-year-old man slowly dies, sunken into feces-covered couch in their home

August 22, 2024 Sharon Banks

An Indiana couple has been arrested after authorities allege they allowed a 73-year-old man to die slowly in squalid conditions, neglected on a couch in their home.

The couple, 60-year-old Frederick Groves and 49-year-old Carmen Groves, now face serious charges, with police suspecting they let the man die in part to take his Social Security checks.

Frederick Groves has been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, altering the scene of a death, failure to report human remains and exploiting an endangered adult.

His wife, Carmen, faces similar charges, excluding the exploitation accusation, according to records from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.

The case came to light on June 23 when Frederick Groves called 911 to report that his father-in-law, Kenneth Rickenbaugh, had passed away in their Evansville home.

He speculated that Rickenbaugh had died earlier that morning or the night before.

Upon entering the room, first responders were immediately hit by the overpowering stench of feces. Rickenbaugh was found deceased, lying on a couch in a fetal position, with his knees drawn up to his chest.

Rigor mortis had already set in, and the couch was soaked with feces, urine and blood. Flies buzzed around his body, and when the body was removed, parts of the couch stuffing came up with it, as Rickenbaugh had sunk deeply into the cushions.

According to the couple, Rickenbaugh had moved in with them about a year earlier. His health had deteriorated to the point where, in the last month of his life, he was unable to leave the couch.

In an interview before her arrest, Carmen Groves told local news that she was shocked by her father’s sudden death, claiming that just days earlier, he had been talking, eating and drinking.

However, investigators found inconsistencies in Carmen’s story. Her account of when she discovered her father’s death shifted over time, and she expressed doubt that he had actually been ill, suggesting he might have been faking his sickness for attention.

The neglect Rickenbaugh endured was severe. His emaciated body was covered in pressure sores, believed to be the source of the blood on the couch.

Frederick Groves admitted to police that he couldn’t bring himself to enter the room because of the smell, adding that he often heard Rickenbaugh calling for help but did nothing to assist him. He claimed he assumed the elderly man was soiling himself on the couch.

Carmen was supposed to be her father’s caregiver, but there was little evidence he was being cared for at all. The clutter in the house was so extensive that it would have been impossible for Rickenbaugh, confined to a wheelchair, to access the bathroom.

Carmen admitted that he never made it to the bathroom and would often soil his pants, leading her to buy him Pull-Ups, which he would discard around the room.

When officers inspected the scene, they found the floor wet and a mop bucket with dirty water nearby. Frederick claimed they cleaned the room to remove dog feces before emergency personnel arrived, while Carmen said they had mopped up spilled cold medicine.

An investigation into Rickenbaugh’s finances revealed that his Social Security account had been drained, with surveillance footage showing Frederick regularly withdrawing cash. Purchases from stores like Walmart and Family Dollar did not appear to benefit Rickenbaugh.

A medical review confirmed that Rickenbaugh was unable to move from the couch and required continuous care, which he did not receive. The affidavit states that instead of seeking help, the couple allowed him to lie in his own waste without food or water for days, possibly weeks, before he died.

The coroner determined that Rickenbaugh succumbed to a combination of heart disease, emphysema, dehydration and pressure sores.