GILBERT, AZ — An 89-year-old man spent more than 22 hours naked and alone on the floor of a Gilbert assisted living facility without staff ever finding him in need of help.
Video from a motion-activated camera inside the room of 89-year-old James McHose captured footage of him lying on the floor, pleading for help.
"I'm watching it go from dark to light," said his daughter, Jamie Hammonds. "From day to night to day."
Hammonds was the one who found her father as she came by to check on him inside The Oaks Senior Living facility in Gilbert last month.
“I’m sad that his dignity was taken away from him, and he laid naked on the floor for 22-plus hours until I found him,” she said.
The video shows McHose, visibly frustrated, attempting to pull himself up and reach for items around him.
"He's trying. He's so frustrated that he can't get himself up because in his head, he should just be able to get up and walk, and he can't," Hammonds said.
The videos show the moments when Hammonds found her father on the floor as she stopped to drop off groceries for him.
She said she panicked, and went to get the staff and asked them to call 911.
Hammonds said she didn't realize how long her father was left on the floor until she went to look back on the video footage that showed him alone all those hours.
It is unclear exactly how McHose fell, but Hammonds believes she can see the moments right after the fall on the motion-activated camera footage.
"I don't know what happened, but to see the chair moving was horrifying. To see him struggling for all these hours, like trying to get on the bed, the bed rail fell off, trying to get himself a blanket, trying to like cover up, and just get up. And he couldn't. That's just horrifying," Hammonds said.
Hammonds said she questions how no one at the facility noticed her father was missing through multiple shift changes and multiple missed meals.
"I don't know how you missed three meals and no one notices,” she added.
McHose was taken to the hospital, where his family said he had fluid around his lungs, a sprained ankle, and has not mentally been the same since the fall.
Hammonds removed her father from the facility and moved him into a smaller group home setting near her home.
She credits the camera that she installed inside his room with how she was able to discover how long he was left on the floor unattended.
“That was part of the draw of me placing him there was being allowed to have the camera,” said Hammonds.
Hammonds said there is a sign outside the door alerting staff and others that there is a camera that is recording.
She questions how the staff didn’t notice he was not seen for multiple meals, and the last time someone came to check on him.
“I confirmed they're supposed to check once a day,” she said, “That didn't happen for 22 plus hours.”
WHO IS JAMES MCHOSE?
McHose followed his daughter out to Arizona after she came here for college.
“My dad was my person,” said Hammonds.
She describes herself as a tomboy who grew up as a daddy’s girl in New Jersey.
McHose was a carpenter and had a boat rental business where he loved to fish.
Hammonds said she is his only child and had to make the decision to move her father into an assisted living facility as he aged.
“It's hard to be the person to have to take away his independence,” she said.
COMPLAINTS FILED
Hammonds shared records with the ABC15 Investigators that show she has filed complaints with the Arizona Department of Health Services and with Adult Protective Services, the agency that investigates abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults.
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A spokesperson for ADHS said they can not confirm when a complaint has been filed due to HIPAA.
Long-term care facilities are not required to self-report falls with injuries like McHose to the state’s Department of Health.
Assisted living facilities are required to report abuse and neglect, including death of a resident, any self-injuries, and when people elope from a facility, within one working day.
A spokesperson for the state agency that runs Adult Protective Services also could not comment on a complaint or investigation, citing privacy concerns.
State health records show a change in ownership in January 2026, which means there's little publicly available history and fewer records to review.
"I haven't even gotten an 'I'm so sorry that happened' from them," said Hammonds. "All I got was arguments about payment because I was going to remove him, and I needed to give 30 days' notice."
Officials from The Oaks provided the following statement to ABC15:
"All of us at The Oaks remain deeply committed to our residents' safety and well-being. We are taking this seriously and are taking the appropriate steps to address it. Our top priority continues to be maintaining a safe, supportive and caring environment for everyone in our community."