Daughter, son-in-law charged in Evansville man's death

EVANSVILLE — An Evansville man stands accused of allowing his father-in-law, Kenneth Rickenbaugh, to lie bedridden and emaciated for weeks leading up to his death in June while pilfering Rickenbaugh's social security payments, prompting prosecutors to file criminal charges against the man and his wife on Friday.

Public court records named the couple, who are still being held at the Vanderburgh County jail on $100,000 bonds as of Monday, as 60-year-old Frederick Groves and 49-year-old Carmen J. Groves, Rickenbaugh's daughter. Both were arrested Friday shortly after a Vanderburgh County judge signed a pair of warrants.

According to legal filings, Frederick and Carmen Groves face charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony, altering the scene of a death, a Level 6 felony, and failure to report human remains, a misdemeanor.

Prosecutors charged Frederick Groves with an additional misdemeanor count of exploiting an endangered adult, court records show, for the alleged scheme to bilk Rickenbaugh's fixed income.

In a sworn affidavit, Detective Nicholas Hackworth, of the Evansville Police Department, laid out what investigators believe happened to Rickenbaugh, 73, who reportedly languished inside a small, two-story house mere blocks from a hospital in Evansville

Horrific scene upends balmy summer day

On the afternoon of June 23, Frederick Groves called Evansville police to his home in the 900 block of N. Fourth Avenue to report that his father-in-law, Rickenbaugh, had died the previous evening or early that morning – he wasn't sure which, officers said.

When first responders arrived at the Groves' residence, Rickenbaugh was "beyond help" and "emaciated," Hackworth recalled. Lifesaving measures were not attempted.

As the officers took in the scene, a firefighter reportedly remarked that Rickenbaugh was "rigored up (sic) pretty good," a reference to the stiffening of a person's muscles after their death, Hackworth noted in Frederick Groves' arrest affidavit.

Crime scene examiners also noted that Rickenbaugh had been lying on a couch in a fetal position for so long that parts of his skin stuck to the furniture. Flies swirled and insects scurried nearby, according to the police. It was more than 90 degrees outside the home that day — a home that Hackworth said was in total disarray.

"I noticed that the room smelled heavily of feces," Hackworth stated. "But (an officer) and I noticed that the floor was moist as if it had just been mopped. I noticed a mop bucket with dirty, soapy water and cleaning supplies in the hallway near the door to Rickenbaugh's room."

The cleaning supplies would prove important later when detectives interviewed Frederick and Carmen Groves separately, court records show.

Police: Couple waited more than 4 hours to dial 911

Dr. William Ralston, a forensic pathologist, performed Rickenbaugh's autopsy at the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office, and Hackworth received a final death report on Aug. 8. Official court records did not list Rickenbaugh's age. Ralston reportedly listed heart disease, emphysema, dehydration, "failure to thrive" and pressure sores as contributing factors in Rickenbaugh's death.

During an interview, Frederick Groves reportedly told Hackworth that his father-in-law had been bedridden for at least one month with little to no care from either himself or his wife, according to Hackworth.

"I asked Frederick who helps Rickenbaugh use the restroom, and he said he assumes Rickenbaugh just defecated and urinates on himself while lying on the couch," Hackworth wrote, adding that Frederick said Rickenbaugh could often be heard saying, "Help, help."

Frederick Groves reportedly told the police it was his wife who alerted him to Rickenbaugh's death. Hackworth said Frederick Groves explained the presence of cleaning supplies at the otherwise soiled home by stating they had "cleaned up dog feces… so first responders wouldn't step on it."

Hackworth described Carmen Groves' statements to police as "inconsistent," and one comment in particular contradicted her husband's reported account of the supposed cleanup.

The couple mopped the floor not as a courtesy to first responders, Carmen Groves said, according to Hackworth, but to clean up "cold medicine" that had spilled in Rickenbaugh's room. The mopping took just five minutes, she reportedly told the detective.

More importantly, detectives believed Carmen Groves lacked a credible explanation as to why she and her husband waited so long to dial 911.

"Carmen initially told me that she last checked on Rickenbaugh at about 7 a.m. or 8 .m. this morning, at which time she saw him apparently sleeping and breathing normally," Hackworth wrote on June 23. "She said she then woke up at 11 a.m., went and saw that (Rickenbaugh) was dead, and 'freaked out.'"

Police records indicated the first 911 call regarding Rickenbaugh's death came in just before 3:20 p.m. on June 23, more than four hours after Carmen Grover allegedly claimed to have found Rickenbaugh deceased.

"When asked why it took so long to call 911, Carmen claimed they were putting up their dogs," Hackworth wrote in her arrest affidavit.

Husband accused of pilfering father-in-law's social security

The subsequent investigation would, according to city police, turn up financial documents and other evidence implicating Frederick Grover in a scheme to misuse Rickenbaugh's modest, $800-per-month social security income, court records show.

Surveillance footage obtained from ATM machines allegedly captured Frederick Grover withdrawing hundreds of dollars in cash, and transaction records showed what detectives said was a pattern of unusual purchases. Hackworth wrote that the financial statements showed Rickenbaugh's account was "cleaned out."

Detectives allege that Frederick and Carmen Groves created the circumstances that allowed for Rickenbaugh to succumb to heart disease and the other conditions identified during his autopsy.

According to a medical review cited by police, Rickenbaugh was unable to move from the Groves' couch to his bedroom; was physically disabled and in need of constant care.

"Carmen and Frederick Groves did not care for nor seek help for Rickenbaugh despite having voluntarily assumed care of him," Hackworth wrote. "They made no arrangements for him to use the restroom, eat or drink… Instead, they allowed Rickenbaugh to lay in his own urine and feces without accessible food or water for the days - and likely weeks - preceding his death."

Hackworth went on to write that Rickenbaugh's death appeared "to be the direct result of Carmen and Frederick's neglect."

On Monday, A Vanderburgh County Circuit Court judge appointed a public defender to represent Frederick Groves, finding him indigent. Frederick and Carmen Groves appeared for their initial hearings Monday afternoon, public records state.

Reviewing hearings in both cases are scheduled for Sept. 30.

Houston may be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Daughter, son-in-law charged in Evansville man's death