No arrest have been announced, but San Antonio authorities are investigating it as an abandonment case.
SAN ANTONIO — Eight disabled people were found living in disturbing conditions inside a northeast-San Antonio home Thursday, after a neighbor called 911 when one resident ran for help, authorities say.
San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) officers responded to a call in the 7000 block of Asbury Station initially described as a medical emergency for breathing problems. What they found was more troubling: multiple residents inside a home without electricity, running water or access to basic sanitation.
“We got a call for somebody having breathing problems here. There were eight disabled individuals in here, with no power or water,” an SAPD detective said on the scene.
The home, which officials said is operated by an LLC, had allegedly gone without utilities for at least two weeks.
“All they do is they come and drop off a bag of water and say, ‘Make it last,’ and then they leave. That’s what they’ve been dealing with for two weeks,” the detective said, adding that human waste was found throughout the home. “There’s feces and stuff all over the place because they have nowhere to use the restroom.”
The unidentified victims, who authorities believe range in age from their 50s to 70s, were all transported by the fire department to local hospitals, primarily for heat-related issues. Outdoor temperatures were hovering around the mid-90s Thursday in San Antonio.
The fire department indicated the facility may be licensed, and SAPD said it’s registered to an LLC and that authorities have identified the owner.
Police say they’re now treating the incident as an abandonment case, but further charges — including potential elder abuse — could be pursued. No one has been arrested as of now.
Investigators are also working to contact family members of the victims.
“They’re all over the place. We make abandonment calls all the time to these houses,” the detective said. “The living areas are kept, but the garage, the bathrooms, the kitchen—they’re all unkept.”
Law enforcement was still on scene investigating at 4 p.m.