MESA, Arizona — An East Valley family is demanding answers after their loved one, who was developmentally disabled, was found dead inside a van belonging to an organization that had been caring for him.
The family of 36-year-old Lorenzo Lopez is now represented by attorney Heather Bushor, who said Lopez was severely autistic and had mental and emotional disabilities since birth.
“Lorenzo is very loved. He lived with a lot of immediate family members, and everybody, everybody is just distraught over what happened,” Bushor said.
Lopez’s body was discovered last week inside a van near Lindsay and Brown roads in Mesa. Temperatures in the area were about 104 degrees that day.
According to Bushor, Lopez had attended ITC Personal In Home Care, also known as Pathways for Life, for at least 15 years. The organization operates locations throughout Arizona and provides services for individuals with autism, Down syndrome and other disabilities.
“Lorenzo did go to Pathways for Life for a very long time, at least 15 years. Every day, Monday through Friday, would be get picked up by Pathways at about 7:30 in the morning and dropped at home at 4:30 in the afternoon, and on June 4 he did not come home,” Bushor said.
When Lopez was not dropped off as expected, his family contacted the facility to ask where he was. Workers found him shortly afterward at about 5:45 p.m. Thursday.
Authorities have not released Lopez’s cause of death, and it remains unclear how long he was inside the van.
Bushor and advocates familiar with similar facilities said organizations that provide transportation and care services typically have policies and procedures designed to prevent incidents like this.
“This is a very, in our experience, unprecedented event,” Bushor said. “Absolutely something had to have gone wrong.”
The family is now seeking answers about what led to Lopez’s death.
“Figuring out the truth of what happened, that’s what the family really wants to know. How did this happen, and how can we make sure it doesn’t happen again to somebody else,” Bushor said.
Mesa police homicide detectives are investigating the death.
Pathways for Life released a statement the day after Lopez’s death, saying its thoughts are with his family and that the organization is cooperating with the investigation.
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