Former Shoreline assisted living caregiver charged with raping two residents with Alzheimer’s

The two elderly women had Alzheimer’s and significant cognitive impairment – but were both able to tell their families about the male employee who had allegedly raped them at the Aegis Living Center in Shoreline where they lived.

One woman told her daughter she had been raped in her bathroom shower by a male caregiver. However the woman said the assault had happened “six months prior” — well before she moved to the facility. The family and staff initially thought the resident was confused so did not report it to police, according to charging documents.

Aegis said they did make a report to Adult Protective Services and the state's Department of Social and Health Services on Nov. 1, 2022. Two days later, the victim pointed out a man in the hallway and told staff “that was the man who had raped her.”

On that same date, another resident called her sister and reported that she had been sexually assaulted. Staff called 911 and the sister took the resident to Harborview Medical Center for a sexual assault examination. There, the woman told staff the man had assaulted her two or three times previously as well.

Last month, King County prosecutors charged Romulo Ramos De Guzman with two counts of second degree rape for sexually assaulting two residents of Aegis Living Center in Shoreline in 2022. The location includes assisted living and memory care facilities. De Guzman has pleaded not guilty.

If found guilty, De Guzman could receive a longer sentence due to the vulnerability of the victims.

A bond hearing is scheduled for May 20 in King County Superior Court. Prosecutors said they oppose the defendant’s request to reduce his current $350,000 bond because he poses a flight risk; De Guzman fled the U.S. for nearly a year while the case was under investigation.

“He is facing a lengthy prison term if convicted and, given the age and cognitive impairment of these victims, a strong incentive to delay trial on this case for as long as possible,” prosecutors said in charging documents.

After the women said they had been assaulted, Aegis suspended De Guzman. Logs from the facility indicated that De Guzman had key access to those residents’ rooms and performed status checks and pet care for them. De Guzman gave a statement to King County Sheriff’s Office Detective Robin Fry denying any improper contact with the victims. He declined to provide a cheek swab for DNA testing. He left for the Philippines a few months later.

De Guzman returned to the U.S. in February 2024 and Detective Fry resumed the investigation. In charging documents, Fry said that while conducting surveillance on De Guzman, she observed him smoking a cigarette in a parking lot near his home. She collected the cigarette butt and submitted it to the crime lab, which found a DNA profile consistent with that obtained from the second victim’s rape examination.

Lauren Ragen is the adult daughter of the first victim. She told KUOW that she initially did not believe her mother had been sexually assaulted and instead blamed the episode on her mother's disease. Regardless, she resolved to report her mother's account to Aegis and treat it seriously. The DNA evidence and resulting charges against De Guzman this spring came as a shock.

“I was horrified and completely guilt ridden. I'd spent over a year processing the trauma of Alzheimer's and the delusions my mother experienced at its hand," Ragen said.

"I also spent over a year feeling awful for the employee that was put on unpaid leave — feeling more for them about the complication with working with vulnerable individuals with delusions and how they could be accused," she added. "I am pissed, and I'm sad.”

Page Ulrey, a senior deputy prosecuting attorney who chairs the elder abuse unit for King County, said the case highlights the need to take all reports of sexual assault from vulnerable people seriously.

“If a report is made, a rape kit can be taken, and if sexual assault has occurred, we have a very good chance of being able to determine that, and figure out who the offender is and protect the victim in the future,” Ulrey said.

She pointed to a 2011 study that found that “a significant subset” of older adults with dementia “can reliably report on emotional events that have happened to them,” even if they have cognitive impairment in other aspects of their lives.

"I can only imagine how many situations like this have occurred that were swept under the rug, because the victim's experience wasn't a trusted source,” Ragen said. “So much has been taken from them already. We must take care of them."

Aegis Living spokesperson Karen Lucas said in a statement that Aegis responded promptly to the residents’ allegations.

“In early November 2022, we learned of two alleged sexual assaults in one of our communities," the statement reads. "These incidents were directly reported to the supervisor and the General Manager. Aegis immediately notified the families and began a full internal investigation. Additional safety protocols were also activated, including staff interviews, switching these residents to female assisted care teams and conducting continual rounding to monitor for any other concerns. We shared findings with the Seattle Police Department and state authorities were also informed."

“We deeply regret the pain and trauma these residents and their families have experienced.”

The statement notes that the two women are still current residents at Aegis Living.

The statement says the assaults were “an isolated case,” saying De Guzman was employed for one and a half years “without concern, passing his background check and clearing internal processes prior to employment.”

The King County Department of Public Defense, which represents De Guzman, declined to comment on this case.

Editor's note: Aegis Living is a financial supporter of KUOW.