U.S. lawmakers are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate why a man who was missing for five weeks was found dead in a stairwell of a building on the campus of a VA hospital in Bedford, Mass.
Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Reps. Katherine Clark, Lori Trahan and Seth Moulton, demanded that the VA investigate the incident, according to CBS Boston. They called on the VA inspector general to review what led to the man's death and determine accountability.
The body of a 62-year-old man was found June 12 after he was last seen May 8 and reported missing May 13. The man lived in a housing complex on Bedford VA Hospital's campus, according to an earlier report from CBS Boston. The federal government runs the VA hospital, and nonprofit Caritas Communities runs the housing complex on the hospital's campus. Caritas said the stairwell where the deceased man was found was outside the lease premises of Caritas Communities and is alarmed and solely controlled by the VA.
In calling for an investigation, the lawmakers said, "It is undisputed that a veteran died on VA property and that his family deserves a thorough, independent investigation by relevant authorities." They called on the inspector to examine the terms of the lease agreement between the hospital and Caritas Communities.
The Middlesex District Attorney has started investigating the death.
Read more here.
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