AKRON, Ohio — Two former employees of an Akron assisted living and skilled nursing care facility are facing criminal charges in connection with the hypothermia death of an 82-year-old woman in 2022.
Amanda Monnard was indicted by a Summit County grand jury for felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanor falsification. Shaun Hostetler is facing two counts of falsification in Akron Municipal Court.
The Ohio Attorney General's Health Care Fraud Unit investigated the case and referred it to Summit County prosecutors.
The tragic death of Joan Meredith, who had dementia, is a nightmare that her son, Tom Freiheit, continues to relive.
"I know what happened. I just don't know how it happened, how it was able to happen," Freiheit said.
On Nov. 8, 2022, Freiheit got an alarming call from The Merriman on Merriman Road, where Meredith had lived for a few years.
"At 11:06 in the morning, they called me and said, 'Are you going to bring your mom back?' We were like, 'What do you mean? We don't have her,'" Freiheit said.
Freiheit hurried to the facility, and within an hour, Meredith's body was found in a wooded area behind the building. The Summit County Medical Examiner ruled she died from hypothermia.
Investigators said Monnard is the former director of nursing of The Merriman and Hostetler was a former licensed practical nurse at the facility.
An administrator at The Merriman confirmed that Monnard and Hostetler are no longer employed there. The administrator declined to make any additional comment about the case.
According to the indictment, Monnard is accused of tampering with evidence in that "she did, knowing that an official proceeding or investigation was in progress, or was to be or likely to be instituted, alter, destroy, conceal, or remove any record, document, or thing, with purpose to impair its value or availability as evidence in such proceeding or investigation..."
According to an affidavit filed in Akron Municipal Court, Hostetler was responsible for the care of J.M. (Joan Meredith) on Nov. 6 and 7.
The affidavit states that "after an unsuccessful search for J.M. on Sunday, Nov. 6, "Hostetler did not contact his supervisor or the family to ascertain her whereabouts."
The affidavit also states that on Monday, Nov. 7, Hostetler "did not verify J.M.'s whereabouts and left her medication in her room."
The affidavit alleges that Hostetler "knowingly made a false statement that was made to mislead The Merriman and the various state and federal government agencies that Hostetler had done his job when in fact he had not..."
Freiheit said the charges did not bring him relief, but he feels it shows progress in the case.
"Someone is starting to be accountable," he said.
Freiheit's attorney, Eric Henry, believes the death was entirely preventable.
"It is shocking that something like this could happen and there could be failures on so many levels," Henry said.
Henry has also filed a civil lawsuit that he said aims to prevent something like this from happening again.
"We are fighting in her memory to correct that system and hopefully help other families never have to go through something like Tom is," Henry said.
Freiheit said wants something else to come out of the tragic situation: awareness.
"Be aware. Be more diligent on the care that your loved one gets," he said.
In a statement, Monnard's attorney, Don Malarcik, said, "The entire incident is tragic, and we are looking forward to putting this behind us and hopefully providing the family some closure as soon as possible."
News 5 also reached out to the attorney representing Hostetler. There wasn't a response as of Friday night.
