MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Mid-South family is living in frustration and fear after they say a local rehab facility allowed their loved ones car and house keys to be stolen while he was getting treatment.
This family, who doesn’t want their identities revealed, had a loved one check into Lakeside Behavioral Health Saturday night. Suffering from an episode of schizophrenia, he was desperate to find a safe haven.
“He said he just needed help because he was hearing voices in his head,” said the family. “I was proud! I was glad for him to go.”
But the experience didn’t end up very safe at all. The family says when he checked in, the patient gave Lakeside staff his phone, ID, cash and keys.
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When he was discharged Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after arriving, all of his stuff, including his car was gone.
“The phone, his keys, his wallet, his driver’s license,” said the family.
The family says they filed a report with Bartlett Police Department. We reached out to law enforcement to get a copy of the police report, but our request is still pending.
“It really upset me, because he was upset. And he’s already going through enough now,” the family said.
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We reached out to Lakeside several times on Tuesday. After several calls, we eventually received a statement via email:
Thank you for reaching out. A mix up occurred in our Facility’s Admissions area whereby two individuals’ belongings were inadvertently swapped. As soon as we became aware of the issue, our Administrative team promptly contacted the individuals. Our team is working to resolve the issue.
Lakeside Behavioral Health provides specialized behavioral health care and addiction treatment service. Our 37-acre campus offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient programs tailored for patients of all ages.
Spokesperson for Lakeside Behavioral Health System
The family is frustrated and scared.
“I think someone can come into our home or doing something to us or take our belongings, and wondering if they’ll ever get their car or sense of security back,” the family said.
We’ll update this story when we get the official police report from Bartlett Police. The family describes the missing car as a gold Buick LeSabre.