More than 20 elderly people died suspicious deaths in nursing homes in Texas: the owner is suspected of murders
Arlington police are investigating at least 20 deaths linked to an unlicensed elder care company. Last month, the police department announced that Regla Becker, 49, faces charges of abuse, negligence, theft and fraud related to her elder care company. According to the message NBC 5, today police are investigating not only the deaths, but also the circumstances surrounding the drawing up of one of the victims' wills.
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In March of this year, the police department announced the arrest of 49-year-old Regla (Soo) Becker, owner of Love and Caring for People LLC, which is supposed to provide care for the elderly. Becker owned and operated several nursing homes in North Texas, where the string of deaths occurred.
On June 21, police said that today they know of at least 20 clients of Love and Caring for People LLC who have died under strange circumstances.
“We are working with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office and the families of the deceased to gather as much information as possible regarding the cause of death of the deceased,” police department officials said.
According to them, 13 deaths were reported in January of this year.
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“We have allegations of abuse, theft and fraud against Becker and her company. The stories we've heard from clients and their families are disturbing and scary,” said Kelly Land, Arlington Police Crisis Intervention Specialist.
Police initially charged Regla (Soo) Becker, owner of Love and Caring for People LLC, with endangering human life. But last week, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the January death of one of Becker's charges, Steven Pankratz, a homicide due to drug intoxication.
According to the medical examiner's report, a mixture of "trazodone, tramadol and mirtazapine" was found in the deceased's body.
“After an extensive review of his medical records, it became clear that these drugs were never prescribed to him by his physicians,” Detective Crystallyn Robinson said at a June 26 press conference.
Police said Pankratz was found unconscious at one of Becker's nursing homes and taken to the hospital, where he died.
Robinson said she spoke with one of Pankratz's relatives. He recalled that the elderly man’s health “deteriorated throughout his stay with Becker, and she gave him a handful of unknown pills twice a day.”
Robinson stressed that Becker was responsible for Pankratz's medical care and should have known what medications he was prescribed.
In addition, law enforcement officers are interested in the fate of one of the houses in Arlington, which previously belonged to a woman named Karen Walker. She was one of Becker's clients and died at a nursing home in Mansfield on October 26, 2022. Police said they found Walker's handwritten will, dated Oct. 7, 2022, two weeks before her death. It consisted of just one sentence: Walker bequeathed all property, including the house, to Becker.
The medical examiner initially listed Walker's cause of death as natural from hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
“The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office is currently reviewing this case and the outcome of the review is not yet known,” Robinson said.
Investigators are currently analyzing the handwriting of Walker's will.
The police explained that the investigation of each death takes a lot of time, because some people died long before the police took up the case.
“Many of the clients have already been cremated, buried or had their bodies donated to science, which makes these deaths more difficult to investigate,” Robinson explained.
According to law enforcement, they contacted the loved ones of 80% of Becker's clients who died.
“I’ve been a police officer for over twenty years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Officer Chris Powell.
Police say the investigation into Becker and her company, Love and Caring for People LLC, is ongoing.
US television news channel NBC 5 asked Becker's lawyers for comment on the charges, but they declined to provide any.
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Police officers have called on the public to help them find other nursing homes that may be run by Becker's company. Law enforcement wants to speak with current or former clients of Love and Caring for People LLC and their families. According to their information, Becker had at least five nursing homes, and there may actually be more. Here is a list of its establishments:
- 1210 Woodbrook Street in Arlington
- 7411 Lake Whitney Drive in Arlington
- 7419 Fossil Creek Drive in Arlington
- 2059 Turtle Cove Drive in Mansfield
- 1852 Hidden Brook Drive in Grand Prairie
Any information can be reported through a special hotline operated by Arlington police and the Tarrant District Attorney's office at 817-575-3230.
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