Akron assisted living facility resident not seen for 2 days, found dead outside facility

AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) - An 82-year-old assisted living facility resident was found dead Tuesday outside the facility after not being seen for two days.

The Summit County Medical Examiner said Joan L. Meredith, who has a history of dementia, was last seen Sunday evening at the Merriman Nursing Home in Akron.

On Tuesday, staff contacted Meredith’s family to see when she would return.

“Nursing home staff had presumed she had taken a leave of absence from the facility with family,” the medical examiner said.

After the staff learned that was not the case, the medical examiner said they began searching for the 82-year-old.

Staff located Meredith in a wooded area behind the facility, according to the medical examiner.

The medical examiner said her death was ruled accidental, and she was found to have died from hypothermia.

The Merriman released the following statement to 19 News:

The Merriman is a building located in Akron, Ohio that includes an area designated as a licensed skilled nursing facility, as well as a separate and distinct area designated as a licensed assisted living community for older adults. In general, the residents of the assisted living have less clinical needs than the residents of the skilled nursing facility, and are on a whole more physically able, tending to move more freely both within and outside of the assisted living building.

During the week beginning on Sunday, November 6, 2022, one of the residents of the assisted living section of The Merriman exited the building and was subsequently found deceased. The Merriman is devasted as a result of this unfortunate tragedy, and is continuing to investigate the incident in order to determine what happened.

Beyond the above, we cannot share any further detail at this time out of respect for the privacy of our resident and her family, and we ask that all media sources that report on this unfortunate incident in the future respect their privacy as well.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

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