Lansdale Man Pleads Guilty to Neglecting Care-Dependent Brother with Down Syndrome

Tony Di Domizio and Keith Heffintrayer•

Three siblings of the Gramlich family — two brothers, Joseph, of Lansdale, along with Harry, and a sister, Elizabeth Anne — were supposed to take care of their younger brother Timothy, 52, who suffered from Down syndrome.

Instead, Joseph, 65, and Elizabeth, 60, admitted in court to the severe neglect of their brother, so much so that he died from an untreated urinary tract infection on Oct. 18, 2020, naked, wrapped in clothing on a soiled mattress in a bedroom of his Abington home.

The siblings also took thousands of dollars from him, prosecutors said.

Joseph Gramlich, of the 500 block of East Main Street, faces up to two years in prison after pleading guilty on Friday in Montgomery County Court to felony neglect of care of a dependent, according to the Pottstown Mercury. Gramlich was responsible for Timothy’s finances, prosecutors said.

Gramlich admitted to not seeing his brother for 17 years, yet handled his finances and, according to Assistant District Attorney Gwendolyn Kull in her factual basis for the guilty plea, “never checked in on Timothy to ensure that he was actually receiving the proper care that he needed to support his life.”

Elizabeth Gramlich, according to the Mercury, was the “least culpable person,” but pleaded guilty to felony neglect and got 10 years’ probation.

Elizabeth admitted to taking $3,600 intended for Timothy’s medicine, groceries, hygiene, and shelter, and using it for herself, despite living in the same house with her brother.

The third sibling and alleged primary caretaker Harry, 71, faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and neglect of care in a March 9 non-jury trial, according to the Mercury.

Harry Gramlich had previously been charged with third-degree murder as well.

According to court documents, Joseph Gramlich had a joint back account with Timothy, the beneficiary.

Authorities said that on April 16, 2011, Timothy’s account balance was $83,685.44, and that the account had $14,418 in it in October 2020. Police said Timothy’s Social Security checks had been directly deposited in the account. On April 10, 2014, Joseph withdrew $70,000 from the joint account and placed into a high yield savings account in his name, police said. As of October 2020, the account had $38,232 in it, police said.

Joseph Gramlich failed to use the funds to provide care, goods, and services to his brother’s wellbeing, police said.

According to a release from the district attorney’s office, Abington Township Police were dispatched to the 200 block of Edge Hill Road at 2:27 p.m. on Oct. 18, 2020, for a report of a deceased person. Upon arrival, police were met by Harry, who said that his brother was deceased in a second-floor bedroom, the report states. Harry identified himself as the victim’s sole caregiver, police said.

Upstairs, police located the body of Timothy, which was naked and lying on a soiled mattress, the report states. Investigators said the mattress and bedroom floor appeared to be stained with bodily fluids and feces, and there was a profound odor of urine and feces emanating from the room.

The report states that the victim’s body was unclean and emaciated. Harry told police that his brother had Down Syndrome and was last seen alive on Oct. 17, 2020, when Harry brought the victim food, the report states.

An autopsy was performed on Jan. 26, 2021, which listed the cause of death as urosepsis and the manner of death as “undetermined.” The examination suggested that Timothy had been neglected and that, had he undergone routine medical evaluations and care, his death could have been prevented, the report states.

The victim only weighed 76 pounds at the time of his death, the autopsy showed.

“The unsanitary conditions and neglect of Timothy Gramlich, a care-dependent person, demonstrated Harry Gramlich’s willful and wanton disregard of an ongoing, unjustified risk that contributed to and resulted in Timothy Gramlich’s death,” reads the release from the district attorney’s office.

According to The Mercury, Harry allegedly told police he fed his brother twice a day a regimen of peanut butter sandwiches, oatmeal, and crock pot recipes, with numerous bottles of water, and that Timothy could eat without help.

Police said Harry allegedly told them his brother was bedridden for six months and he had been non-verbal for years.

Timothy, Harry allegedly told police, had not received any medical care in at least 13 years.