Man who died after going missing from Wallingford nursing home identified

May 16--A Wallingford nursing home resident who died in January after being allowed to wander away from the facility has been identified as an 89-year-old Meriden man.

Ronald Reynolds died Jan. 26 after he left Skyview Rehab and Nursing in Wallingford wearing only a shirt and one sock, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Reynolds, who was missing for more than an hour, was found dead 50 feet from the nursing home.

The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Reynolds died of hypothermia due to environmental exposure. Hypothermia, which is considered a medical emergency, occurs when the body gets cold and loses heat faster than the body can make it.

The temperature in Wallingford at the time Reynolds went missing was in the mid-30s.

The medical examiner also found "Complicating Alzheimer's Dementia" and contributing conditions of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The cause of death was listed as an accident.

The nursing home was fined $10,000 as a result of the incident, the Connecticut Investigative I-Team reported. Officials with Skyview Rehab and Nursing were not available for comment Friday.

CHIT reported that, per the state DPH citation, staff noticed the man was missing at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 26, and he was found at 8:46 a.m. The resident was found wearing only a shirt and one sock, with bloody knees and muddy feet, according to the citation.

"An investigation found the resident was last seen by a roommate on Jan. 25 between 9:30 and 10 p.m., and that staff hadn't performed required regular two-hour visual check-ins with residents. A review of the facility's staffing sheet showed there were only three nurse aides on duty, not the required four aides for the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, according to DPH," CHIT reported.

One of Reynolds' daughters, Stephanie Savejs, declined comment about her father's death and referred all questions to Roger Calistro, a New Haven attorney. Calistro said no lawsuit has been filed yet.

"We are taking with the law firm that represents the insurance company for the nursing home," he said.

Reynolds was born in Shoreditch, England, in April 1930, according to his obituary from the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home in Meriden. He was married to Anina Napolitano Reynolds, who died in October 2018.

Reynolds is survived by his daughter Stephanie and her husband, Karl Savejs, of Meriden as well as his granddaughter Chelsea Savejs. He also leaves behind two daughters, Gaye and Georgina, and their families in England; and a brother, Harry.

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