After neighbors saw an elderly man take a tumble on his porch, they rushed to help. However, when they noticed what was all over him and heard his complaint, the police were quickly called to the scene. Unfortunately, their sickening discoveries were just beginning. Walking inside the home to investigate, a nauseating 2-year bedroom secret left them in disbelief.
After 71-year-old Hugh Dickinson stumbled on his porch in May, his neighbor was quick to offer assistance, but she was met with a nasty surprise. Noticing that the man was covered in feces and complaining of being both hungry and thirsty, she called authorities to perform a welfare check on the elderly disabled man.
When Greenwood police arrived, they found Hugh, who is a stroke survivor and had his leg amputated, sitting on the front porch in a dirty shirt and dirty adult diaper, Fox59reports. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the worst thing they found that day. As they entered the home to investigate, they noted the home was clean, but things took a turn when they checked the man’s bedroom.
The bedroom that Hugh had been living in for 2 years was covered in trash, spoiled food, and feces. Unfortunately, the disabled man wasn’t in the best of shape either. Not only was he covered in filth, he was reported to be in poor health, extremely thin, and possibly malnourished, weighing just 100 pounds. The neighbor who called authorities also said that the man’s bedroom window was covered in flies and gnats.
The neighbor adds that the man had come to the front of the house after she tried to talk to him through his bedroom window to see if he was okay. That’s when he took the fall and she noticed the feces covering him, prompting her to call authorities for the welfare check that resulted in him being rescued from the prison he had lived in for years.
The elderly man was taken to the hospital for treatment and a warrant was issued for the arrest of his wife, 69-year-old Darlene Dickinson, for two charges of neglect of a dependent after failing to care for her husband. In the hands of caring officers, Hugh shared the horrors he was forced to endure, explaining that his wife had shut him in his bedroom for the past couple of years. Because the room was so “filthy,” the man was bothered by flies, forcing him to put a blanket over his head to sleep, the victim recalled.
Not only did he claim that he had only been allowed out of his room once in the past two years, but he also said he had not received any of his medication during that time. In addition, he was only being given one Meals on Wheels meal and a warm Pepsi per day, but now that he has been in the care of his son and daughter, who the mother refused to allow to see their dad for some time, he’s gained back almost 30 pounds in just over 2 months.
The daughter, who previously had a falling out with her mom and been prevented from seeing her dad, was present when police arrested her mother for the mistreatment of her father, and she cheered them on. She alleges that she was told that her mother would take away her father’s prosthetic leg so he couldn’t get out of the house. She also blames her mother for her father needing an amputation in the first place, saying she didn’t care for a wound on his foot properly, causing him to get gangrene and require the amputation. The family is glad their dad is now safe and their mother is facing the consequences of her actions.
While Hugh’s story is a tragic one, there is good to be seen here. The caring neighbor didn’t turn a blind eye when something didn’t seem right. Thanks to her concern and action, Hugh is now thriving, able to see his kids and grandkids as well as get another prosthetic leg. His neighbor wasn’t being nosey, she was the angel he needed when he had no other way out of the hell he was trapped in.
It just goes to show that we should look out for one another, especially those who are more vulnerable. If it weren’t for a concerned person reaching out, Hugh’s story could have had ended much differently. In short, if you see something, do something.
