Authorities say the deaths of a blind, disabled man and his longtime caregiver in two different Massachusetts towns are most likely related.
Forty-one-year-old Jeffrey Goldstein was blind and used a wheelchair. He needed the help of the caregivers at a group home in Dedham. But when he was checked out by 74-year-old staffer Mary MacKinnon Monday, neither ever came back.
Goldstein was found dead in a room at the Holiday Inn in Dedham Monday night. There were no obvious signs of trauma. A van belonging to the group home was in the parking lot.
Later, MacKinnon's body was found in a room at the Holiday Inn Express in nearby Norwood. Her death was likely a suicide, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office.
Goldstein's father says MacKinnon was a "terrific" caregiver who had known Jeffrey since he was a child.
"This makes no sense," Alan Goldstein said. "Beyond our ability to comprehend."
"There were no known issues between the staff person and the individual," Mikey Hyland, CEO of Venture Community Services, which runs the group home, said in a statement. "Both had left the program to attend a medical appointment ... All employees of our agency undergo background checks.
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Investigators have not said how Goldstein died, but they say the deaths are believed to be connected. Autopsies on both people are expected to take place Wednesday.
"While the circumstances of these deaths are clearly disturbing, we do not believe that there is any ongoing threat to the public or others related to this case," Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said.
