Mentally disabled man found dead in Burlco remembered as ‘friendly and polite’

Joseph Brockington was known as friendly and polite when he and his friend stopped at the Wawa near the Burlington County group home where he lived for 16 years.

News that his body was found Saturday in Smithville Park, his death caused by hypothermia, surprised those who are mourning and are left questioning what happened Nov. 1, when the group home in Eastampton Township where the 56-year-old man lived reported that he and another resident, Juan Garcia, 58, had disappeared.

“He was an all-around good person, and he did not deserve to die the way he did,” Brockington’s niece, Haneefah Brockington of Elizabeth, Union County, said Tuesday. “He needed supervision.”

After posting her uncle’s picture and writing, “RIP Uncle Joseph. You will be missed," she said, hundreds offered their condolences for a man who loved music and sports, including his favorite Super Bowl champs, the New England Patriots.

Brockington said her uncle was a diabetic and mentally disabled. After his immediate family was unable to care for him, she said, he was placed at the group home on West Railroad Avenue, close to the park, so that he could be cared for throughout the day and receive his medication properly. Brockington said she was told the men left about 7 p.m. Nov. 1, and questioned why they were not under closer supervision.

She said she was told by the group home that those who lived there were free to leave and return on their own. Brockington said her uncle needed help.

A woman at the group home said on Tuesday that questions had to be directed to Catholic Charities, which runs the facility.

The group home, a brick ranch house close to the woods, helps “adults with serious mental illness (SMI) to live independently in the community,” Dana DiFilippo, a spokesperson for Catholic Charities in Trenton, said in an email Tuesday night.

“The homes have varying levels of supervision, in accordance with state licensing standards, to ensure residents are able to live in the least restrictive setting. The home where these men lived is independent supportive housing, where residents are free to leave at any time,” DiFilippo said. “The man who was found Saturday was his own legal guardian.”

DiFilippo added in the email: “Because the men had health conditions that required daily medication, Catholic Charities alerted authorities right away (Nov. 1) when they failed to return. Catholic Charities takes its responsibilities as a group home provider seriously and has been working closely with the Eastampton Police Department since Nov. 1 to locate the men.”

The group home is state-funded, DiFilippo said.

In a statement released previously, Catholic Charities executive director Marlene Lao-Collins. extended condolences to the Brockington family.

“In a group home, staff and residents become like family, so we mourn this loss deeply, as well,” Lao-Collins said.

Heather Conover, Wawa’s lead customer service representative at its store at Routes 38 and 206 in Southampton Township, said the men often came to the convenience store. Sometimes, a woman accompanied them to keep an eye on them and made sure they received receipts for their purchases.

“They were always really friendly and really polite,” Conover said, adding that they stood out among the customers. “Not everyone says thank you. They always said thank you.”

Haneefah Brockington said her heart still hurts for Garcia’s family. She said authorities told her it appeared her uncle stepped in “quicksand" and couldn’t get out.

“We know what happened to Uncle Joe, but they still don’t know what happened to Juan,” she said.

After finding Brockington, authorities continued their search for Garcia. Neither men took diabetes medication with him when they left on Nov. 1, officials said.

Eastampton police said the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office was handling the investigation now that it involved a death.

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office released a statement on Monday that said it appears the death was accidental and no foul play was involved.

“We have been working closely with the Eastampton Police Department since their disappearance and had hoped for a better outcome,” said Prosecutor Scott Coffina. “We have searched extensively for Mr. Garcia, again over the weekend, and will continue to do so until we locate him. We will continue to hold out hope that he will be found safely.”

Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.