A 44-year-old Missouri man, Brian K. Ditch, has been accused of imprisoning his disabled uncle, who is a quadraplegic U.S. Army veteran, and eventually dumping his dead body in a trash can. All the while, Ditch allegedly collected his uncle’s disability benefits, totaling around $650,000.
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According to a District of Missouri United States Attorney’s Office release, Ditch kept his uncle locked inside his garage since the latter was placed in his care in 2008. Allegedly, Ditch kept his uncle trapped in the garage for more than 24 hours at a time. An indictment alleges that his uncle was forced “to sit in his own urine and feces without the ability to eat or drink.”
The alleged torture lasted for over a decade, until his uncle eventually died sometime in 2019. Ditch is accused of fraudulently obtaining his uncle’s U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation benefits, which amount to $9,559 each month.
Additionally, Ditch’s uncle received Social Security Disability Insurance benefits as well as Retirement Insurance benefits that totalled $235,210 since 2008. The total amount Ditch allegedly stole amounts to at least $650,000.
Ditch allegedly continued to claim the benefits after his uncle died, deciding to conceal his body in a trash can.
Alleged Lies And Theft
As per Law & Crime, Ditch told his family that his uncle had moved to a nursing home, lying about his death. He allegedly continued to cash his uncle’s benefits, concealing the theft by sending himself $1,000 payments. Allegedly, this was to portray them as payment for “caring” for his uncle.
“Through his lies and acts of concealment, the defendant stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in Veteran T.C. ‘s disability benefits that the defendant used — not to care for his quadriplegic uncle — but to enrich himself personally,” the indictment read, as per Law & Crime.
Ditch allegedly purchased exotic reptiles and went on vacations with his uncle’s disability benefits.
Eventually, the alleged deception was discovered after Salem police officers found Ditch’s uncle’s body partially frozen in the trash. Reportedly, he was found inside a trash bag. Despite being a convicted felon, police also found three shotguns. A Dent County coroner told KSDK that Ditch’s uncle’s cause of death will likely remain undetermined. This is due to his body’s state of decomposition.
Brian K. Ditch was indicted on four felony counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.