Former assisted living caregiver charged with raping 2 patients in Shoreline
May 24, 2024, 4:57 AM
Exterior of an Aegis Living assisted-living facility. (Photo courtesy of Aegis Living)
(Photo courtesy of Aegis Living)
A former caregiver at an assisted living facility in Shoreline has been charged with multiple counts of rape involving patients at the facility.
The caregiver, Romulo Ramos de Guzman, was charged with two counts of second-degree rape at Aegis Living Center in Shoreline. The two victims both have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and deal with “significant cognitive impairment,” according to court documents acquired by multiple media outlets, including KOMO News and KING 5. In the documents, the victims are identified by their initials only.
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“We deeply regret the pain and trauma these residents and their families have experienced,” Aegis Living Shoreline said to both outlets as part of a prepared statement. “We continue to be deeply concerned about this incident, and the impact of the recent indictment, on our residents and their families. We are committed to ensuring their safety, well-being, and happiness in our community.”
One of the victims reported the sexual assault to her sister back in November 2022, according to the court documents acquired by the outlets, and was taken to the hospital for a sexual assault examination. According to the victim, the sexual assaults began several weeks before, happening at least four times earlier.
A second victim reported she was raped by de Guzman just two days prior to the first victim’s claim.
Denying the rape allegations, de Guzman left the country for the Philippines for nearly a year. When he returned to the U.S., he was under constant surveillance, according to court documents noted in the reports. During this time, investigators recovered a cigarette he discarded and eventually matched the DNA found on the cigarette to the DNA profile of the victim, leading to de Guzman’s arrest.
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The state requested de Guzman’s bail to be set at $350,000 as the defendant poses “a serious flight risk.” If he posts bail, de Guzman is required to surrender his passport.
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
