A family found a swastika drawn on the head of an elderly relative who was confined to a care facility in the Canadian city of Toronto, local news outlet Toronto.com reported on Thursday.
The disturbing drawing on 65-year-old Larry Morrow's scalp was discovered by his nephew, Shane, as he came to visit him at the Glendale Care Centre in Toronto’s Swansea neighborhood.
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Drawing of swastika and smiling face found on head of elderly Toronto man
(Photo: Shane Morrow)
Shane noticed some black markings on his uncle’s head, which he initially assumed were bruises or stitches from some sort of accident, but a closer examination revealed a swastika and a smiling face had been drawn with black marker on Larry's head.
After making an inquiry into the incident, a staff member at the home told Shane that the swastika was drawn with a marker by "a relatively young man," who then tried to erase the markings with his fingernails.
The nephew also claimed that he had been told that his uncle initially had a swastika also drawn on his back, which had later been removed. He also noticed bruises on the elderly man's arms.
"I couldn't believe my eyes," Morrow said. “I was thinking: How did he get his shirt off? Why was his shirt off? Did this guy pull his shirt over his head and was abusing him?”
Although the staff member told the family that the perpetrator had been arrested, Toronto police media relations officer Const. Caroline de Kloet said there was no report filed for the address of the facility.
Aside from the alleged abuse, Morrow also reported that his uncle was clad in dirty clothes and was living in an unclean environment at the facility.
“The smell …I could not believe it,” Morrow said. “It was to the point that I wanted to grab my uncle, throw him on my back and get out of there. That’s how bad it was.”
The elderly man - who reportedly suffers from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes - has been a resident at Glendale for approximately two years and is on a waitlist to get into a retirement home.
When asked for their response on the issue, the Glendale Care Centre said the incident was "a private matter" and that it "could not disclose any information at the moment.