CAYCE, S.C. — State and local authorities are investigating at a Cayce residential care facility after a man was found dead there on Friday morning - even as one agency reports finding no violations that day.
A spokesperson for the Cayce Police Department said they were called to Twilite Manor Adult Residential Care facility in regard to an unresponsive man, later identified as 69-year-old Timothy Frank Catalano. Authorities said Catalano's roommate found him and immediately called 911.
When officers arrived on the scene, they not only found Catalano deceased but also allegedly saw things that raised concerns. The statement from the department didn't elaborate on what they saw, however.
The coroner's office, citing a housekeeper, later suggested that no medical staff or other facility personnel had been at the facility since some time before 7 a.m.
Another resident of the facility was taken to the hospital. That person's condition and Catalano's cause of death, are unknown at this time. An autopsy for the deceased resident is scheduled for Monday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Since the initial discovery, Cayce Police have contacted the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) which regulates these facilities, as well as the Department of Social Services (DSS).
DHEC has since released a statement acknowledging that it had been notified earlier in the day and sent staff to the location to assess compliance.
"Upon visiting the facility, DHEC staff did not observe any conditions or practices that pose an immediate threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the residence," the agency said, adding that it would issue a report on the visit next week.
DHEC, however, did state that it filed a Consent Order against Twilite Manor in January and conducted a "compliance assistance meeting" on Feb. 15.
The follow-up suggested that they had been cited for violations regarding "policies and procedures, required DHEC staff training, insufficient staff, resident records to include, care plans, observation notes; medication to include sign-in and out sheets, medication orders, and food shortage."
The agency went on to say that the concerns that led to the order had been corrected.
The roughly 14 residents of the facility were moved elsewhere on Friday as the investigation into both the death and the facility conditions continue. However, DHEC added that it didn't order the evacuation and isn't involved in relocating residents.
A spokesperson for Lexington County confirmed that the county was assisting in reuniting residents with family and that those residents had been taken to a central location.
Anyone who has family at Twilite Manor is urged to contact the Cayce Police Department at 803-794-0456.