A caregiver in New Jersey faces reckless endangerment charges after police say they found a mentally disabled, malnourished 27-year-old woman who had been locked in a windowless bathroom for nearly a year.
Lisa Bullock-DeLorenzo, 42, is charged with endangering the welfare of a disabled person, criminal restraint and related charges after officers found the 27-year-old woman with only a towel and a bowl of food inside the 5x8-foot bathroom Wednesday morning, Pennsville Police Department Chief Allen Cummings said.
Bullock-DeLorenzo had been living in the home on Riviera Drive with the woman, a 30-year-old man who also has mental disabilities, and two brothers in their 20s, Cummings said. She had apparently adopted all four after their original adoptive mother died of cancer, Cummings said.
When officers and a Salem County Office of Aging and Disabilities employee arrived, they found the 27-year-old in the bathroom, which also had a non-working toilet, the chief said, adding that she was forced to use diapers to relieve herself.
“It’s horrendous. Most of us have kids, and to see someone being treated like this, it’s just not right,” Cummings said.
The 27-year-old was taken from the home and was being treated at a hospital. The 30-year-old man was also removed from the home.
Bullock-DeLorenzo was released pending a court appearance. It was unclear if she had retained an attorney.
