A man was found dead in a closet at a Florida nursing home. His family wants answers

By Rebekah Riess and Melissa Alonso, CNN

(CNN) — A grieving Florida family is demanding answers after a man was found dead in a storage closet more than a week after he was reported missing at a North Miami nursing home and rehab center.

Elin Etienne’s body was discovered in the closet at the North Dade Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Monday morning, North Miami Police Department Maj. Kessler Brooks told CNN.

Etienne, 71, was reported missing on August 22, police said. A missing person’s poster for him was issued on August 23, according to a police department post on X.

Etienne’s family says he had dementia – which the facility disputes, police told CNN.

“They said that he signed himself out, he doesn’t have the capacity to sign himself out,” family member Kimberly Etienne told CNN affiliate WSVN.

“At North Dade Nursing and Rehab, we are deeply committed to the health, well-being and safety of our residents, above all else,” center administrator Stephanie Pena said in a statement released to CNN.

“Our team is cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities, including law enforcement and our state regulatory partners. We are compassionate caregivers, and that will help get us through this difficult experience.

“At the same time, we remain committed to ensuring our residents continue receiving the high-quality care they have come to expect from our facility,” Pena said.

The local medical examiner removed Etienne’s body and autopsy results are pending, Brooks said. The investigation is ongoing, he said.

Family members gathered outside the nursing facility this week. “The entire family is here, and there’s been no answers,” Kimberly Etienne told WSVN.

North Dade Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has a two out of five stars overall rating, with only one star for health inspections and two for staffing, according to Medicare.gov.

It has faced over $23,000 in federal penalties over the last three years. Medicare says a facility can face a penalty for issues including “serious health or fire safety citation,” or failures “to correct a citation for a long period of time.”

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