Camille Anderson’s suspicions were first raised by alerts from a camera in her mother’s nursing home room.
“I started getting more notifications than usual from the Ring camera in my mom’s room and when I checked, I saw a man sitting on her bed putting on his shoes like he was about to leave,” Anderson said.
Concerned, Anderson, 35, reviewed the footage and realized the man had been inside the room for more than an hour. She said she called the staff at La Mirada Heights Provincial Senior Living and asked caregivers to check on her mother, who has dementia.
“When I called the caretakers, they said he had no clothes and they didn’t know what happened,” Anderson said.
So she reached the facility and contacted the authorities.
According to Los Angeles County prosecutors, the man was 38-year-old Jonathan Michael Alvarado, a volunteer pianist at the facility.
According to the criminal complaint, Alvarado was arrested on June 13 and charged with rape of a person incapable of consent and two counts of lewd act upon a dependent adult related to the June 10 incident. Prosecutors allege the victim was incapable of giving consent due to a mental disorder and a physical or developmental disability.
Since his arrest, Alvarado has requested $150,000 bail and remains out of custody pending a preliminary hearing. His lawyer declined to comment. On March 9, Anderson filed a lawsuit against both the facility where her mother lived and Alvarado, alleging negligence, elder abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional distress, among other claims.
Surveillance footage shared with The Times by Anderson shows a man taking off his clothes before attacking his mother. Anderson said the family installed cameras when she moved into the facility because of her diagnosis.
After Alvarado’s arrest, Anderson said the family went back through all the footage from their mother’s room and found at least one other incident.
“It was very disturbing,” she said.
The lawsuit claims that operators of the facility allowed Alvarado access to residents despite warning signs about his behavior, including concerns raised by the victim’s family. According to the citizen complaint, staff failed to investigate those concerns or restrict her access, ultimately allowing her to continue contact with vulnerable residents.
Anderson’s attorney, Dominic N. “If you are inviting third parties onto the premises to interact with seniors, you are responsible for their conduct, their background and who you are allowing access to vulnerable residents,” Westmoreland said.
According to the facility, La Mirada Heights is marketed as an independent senior living community designed for older adults who can live on their own while receiving optional support services. website. The community offers private apartments, chef-prepared meals, housekeeping, transportation, and social activities, aiming to provide a “maintenance-free” lifestyle. A representative for the facility said they could not comment and referred questions to Discovery Senior Living.
“The safety and well-being of our residents is our top priority. We are troubled by these allegations and will cooperate fully with any criminal investigation. Because this matter involves an ongoing criminal matter, and out of respect for the privacy of our residents, it is not appropriate to comment further,” said Laura Lepore, vice president of corporate and investor communications at Discovery Senior Living.
According to Anderson and his attorneys, the facility’s staff knew about his mother’s dementia diagnosis and cognitive decline and should have taken better care of her.
“When you know residents have cognitive impairment and need protection, you can’t hide behind the label of independent senior living,” Westmoreland said.
He said the case highlights broader concerns about safety in seniors living facilities, especially for residents with cognitive impairments who may be unable to recognize or report abuse.
Initially, Anderson said she needed to tell the deputies investigating her report that her mother had dementia, so they would take it more seriously and call detectives. A criminal case was initially filed against Alvarado on July 29, but prosecutors sent it back for additional investigation. According to Zara Lockshin, public information specialist for the LA County District Attorney’s Office, the case was eventually resubmitted and Alvarado was charged.
Alvarado pleaded not guilty in January. A civil suit is pending against the facility.
