A troubling incident of neglect unfolded as a Texas bus passed through Memphis, according to the Memphis Police Department. In a recent Facebook post, the department stated that officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of Union Avenue at 9:50 a.m. following a medical call. Upon arrival, they encountered a dire situation: a group of vulnerable adults traveling in squalid conditions.
Upon arrival, law enforcement found a yellow bus, its trailer containing three live goats, and inside the cramped space, six passengers appeared in distress. Five individuals with intellectual disabilities and one with dementia were subsisting in conditions described as "uninhabitable and inhumane," lacking necessities such as running water and food. Attire filthy and bodies emaciated, their plight was painfully evident—especially for one passenger critically hurt the day prior, yet neglected and left without medical aid.
The driver, 61-year-old Bernice Jarrett, faces charges for multiple counts of neglect of a vulnerable adult after it was revealed she had been leaving her charges unattended overnight to stay in hotels. All passengers have since been taken to the hospital: one in critical condition, the rest non-critical.
This egregious case of neglect, as detailed by the Memphis Police Department's post, underscores the ongoing struggle to protect those who most vulnerable among us. As they traversed from Texas to Virginia, the travelers likely expected safety and care, rather than the dire deprivation and danger they encountered. The investigation into the circumstances leading up to their discovery is ongoing.
