Man dies after leaving Saginaw adult foster care home - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(02/22/13) - He died from exposure in the bitter cold, after walking away from a Saginaw adult foster care home.

Friday, the family of Jerry Lee Roundtree wants to know how this could happen.

We got fresh snow last weekend and it was very cold, about 7 degrees at 6 a.m. Sunday. That's just about the time Roundtree's body was found.

"He was a nice person, a very nice person," said Bessie Sidney, Roundtree's niece.

Sidney, talking about her uncle, Jerry Roundtree. He was born in Mississippi, but lived in Saginaw for years. His life came to an end along Franklin Street near McCoskry in Saginaw early Sunday morning, just a few blocks from St. Mary's of Michigan hospital. His body was found just off the road with very little clothing on.

"T-shirt, pajama pants, and some socks," said Sergeant Brent Vanderhaar, with the Saginaw Police.

VanderHaar says Roundtree left this adult foster care home on 17th Street in Saginaw, close to three miles from where Roundtree was found. He says police got a call from someone at the home that Roundtree was missing.

"The police found him about 20 minutes later after the initial call. They started doing some tracking, so about 20-30 minutes later they found him," he said.

Police believe Roundtree walked the entire way.

Sidney says her uncle had Alzheimer's Disease. The adult foster care home is licensed with the state of Michigan under the name 'Our Heart to Yours.' The facility can house up to six residents.

"I just can't imagine. I just want to know why, why it happened, why weren't they watching him," Sidney said.

ABC12 spoke with someone at the Our Heart to Yours home, and the person at the door said they did not want to comment on the situation.