Inset: Thomas Tuttle Sr. (Gregory Funeral Services). Background: Theron Gregory Tuttle during a court appearance in North Carolina, where he faced allegations of neglecting to report his father’s death (WSOC/YouTube).
In a troubling case from North Carolina, a man has been accused of delaying the report of his elderly father’s death for several days, only notifying authorities on Father’s Day.
Theron Gregory Tuttle, aged 55, faces charges for his alleged failure to report a death after police discovered his 96-year-old father, Thomas Tuttle Sr., deceased in their shared residence in Dallas, North Carolina.
Authorities claim that Thomas Tuttle had been dead for several days before his son alerted the police, reports from the local ABC affiliate WSOC reveal. The father and son shared a home, with the younger Tuttle expected to act as his father’s caregiver.
“It’s heartbreaking,” a neighbor expressed to the TV station. “It’s so sad to learn about this situation. He really needed assistance, someone to take care of him.”
But Theron Tuttle, in an interview with the outlet, denied the allegations against him, claiming he called 911 as soon as he found his father’s body. He said he loved his father, a Korean War veteran who was always there for him.
Investigators have seized the suspect’s phone, and a medical examiner is conducting an autopsy on the victim — one that would determine a cause of death and could more accurately establish a timeline for when he died, WSOC reported.
The neighbor said Thomas Tuttle lived at the home for decades.
“Never had an ounce of trouble out of him, extremely nice fellow,” the neighbor told WSOC.
According to his obituary, the victim was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, on Nov. 19, 1929.
Cops arrested the suspect on Sunday and took him to the Gaston County Jail, where he has since posted a $15,000 bond. He has a probable cause hearing set for July 15.