A criminal complaint describes allegations of severe neglect involving a 35-year-old autistic man at his mother’s home in Pitcairn. Police say they found him naked and in poor health inside a closet; officers also reported 18 dogs and floors covered with feces and urine.
Bonnie Schutzer was charged with false imprisonment, felony counts, and neglect and abuse of a care-dependent person, according to CBS News. Police say they were initially called to the home over reports of dogs in poor health, then obtained a search warrant after speaking with neighbors and hearing screaming inside the house.
CBS News reported that Officer Scott Farally described the conditions officers found as severe. Debris was scattered around the visibly deteriorating house, which was later deemed unsafe for occupancy.
What Police Say They Found Inside the Home
CBS News reported that Schutzer’s son was found in a closet estimated to measure 6 feet by 6 feet. Farally said there were indications people may have lived in the closet, but police had not determined before charges were filed whether the son had been allowed to leave it.
The criminal complaint, as reported by CBS News, describes Schutzer’s son as non-verbal, partially blind and deaf, with difficulty walking and limited control of his arms. It also alleges that after leaving the house, he ate a handful of dirt because he was hungry. Farally said removing him from the home and investigating the case were difficult for officers.
The complaint also alleges that Schutzer hid from officers when they entered the home to serve the search warrant. Her boyfriend was not there during the search, CBS News reported.
Neighbor Recalls Not Seeing the Son for About 10 Years
Chantai Howard, who lives across the street on Jewell Way, told CBS News she had not seen Schutzer’s son in about 10 years. She said she had heard noises from the house, including yelling and banging.
Howard said Schutzer being behind bars was “about time.” The Allegheny County Police Department is handling most of the ongoing investigation.
Adult Protective Services Reports in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s Adult Protective Services program received 24,441 reports of abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment statewide in state fiscal year 2024-25, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Allegheny County accounted for 2,762 of those reports.
What Pennsylvania Law Says About Neglect Charges
Pennsylvania's care-dependent person statute, enacted in 2006, allows a caretaker to raise an affirmative defense to neglect charges if they can show, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the alleged violations resulted directly from lawful compliance with specific health-care instructions or orders, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It remains unclear whether that defense will factor into Schutzer's case.
