A Missouri man stands accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his disabled uncle, whom he allegedly kept in a garage until his death in 2019.
Brian K. Ditch was reportedly the caregiver of his US Army veteran uncle, who suffered from quadriplegia and couldn’t eat or drink by himself.
Prosecutors said Ditch, 44, kept his uncle “locked in his garage and under his control while collecting the man’s benefits.”
“Instead of properly caring for his uncle, Ditch trapped him in the garage for over 24 hours at a time, forcing his uncle to sit in his own urine and feces without the ability to eat or drink,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said.
After the uncle’s death, Ditch allegedly hid the body and told a relative he had placed the man at a nursing home “so that he could continue to receive the money.”
The suspect collected $9,559 per month from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and about $250,000 in Social Security disability benefits. Police allege Ditch stole around $650,000.
He reportedly used the money to “buy exotic reptiles, fund lavish vacations, and enrich himself.”
The uncle’s frozen body was discovered in a trash can in March.
