Caregiver arrested after 6 adults, including 1 who died, were found living in filth on a bus

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TCN) — Authorities arrested a 61-year-old caregiver on suspicion of neglecting six adults who were found amid inhumane conditions on a bus.

According to the Memphis Police Department, on April 9, officers responded to a medical call on Union Avenue, where they found a yellow bus with a trailer that held three goats. Authorities entered the bus and found a driver, Bernice Jarrett, and six passengers, including five with intellectual disabilities and one with dementia.

Police said the six adults were “living in a space with no running water, no food, and overall uninhabitable and inhumane conditions.” They reportedly wore dirty clothes and showed signs of malnourishment.

One of the passengers allegedly severely injured another, but they didn’t receive medical care. The passengers, including five who were noncritical, were transported to the hospital. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office announced in an April 11 news release that one of the passengers later died.

Further investigation revealed the bus was reportedly traveling from Texas to Virginia. Police allege Jarrett had been staying in hotels, “leaving the passengers unattended overnight.”

Jarrett faces six counts of neglect of a vulnerable adult. The district attorney’s office successfully argued for a higher bond, and it was raised from $80,000 to $250,000.

In a statement, District Attorney Steve Mulroy called the case “deeply disturbing” adding, “The individuals involved were among our community’s most vulnerable, and they were subjected to unthinkable conditions. We will pursue accountability to the fullest extent of the law.”

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