Massachusetts officials investigate abuse at group home

From WBZ-TV in Boston:

BOSTON -- Several state agencies and the Middlesex District Attorney's office are investigating disturbing allegations of abuse and neglect at a group home.

Danny Butler (pictured) was found with bruises all over his body, black eyes and broken bones while in the care of a group home licensed by the state.

"He has Down syndrome, he's lovable, he never had an enemy in the world until this," said brother Ed Butler.

But what happened and who's responsible are still unanswered questions that haunt Danny Butler's family.

The 61-year old was living at a group home in Dracut, a home managed by the Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell and licensed by the former Department of Mental Retardation.

On July 23rd, Danny was rushed to Lowell General Hospital because he was in respiratory distress.

Dracut Police weren't notified about Daniel Butler's injuries until he began having difficulty breathing and ended up in the hospital. That's when doctors and family members discovered all of the bruises and broken bones and called police.

Medical records show Danny Butler had multiple bruises, facial injuries, emotional trauma and possible sexual abuse.

Nancy Alterio, the head of the Disabled Persons Protection Commission says her agency had four allegations of abuse with this one victim.

According to reports obtained by the I-Team, one person at the group home said Danny fell out of bed, another said he pulled some dresser drawers onto his face.

One major problem with this investigation is that Danny Butler has been silenced by the trauma. Ed Butler says right now Danny can't communicate beyond yes or no, and as soon as the sun goes down he gets agitated and restless and he's very afraid.

Nancy Alterio said a lot of things can make it difficult to prove a case. When you don't have forensic evidence or testimony from victims or witnesses it's difficult to determine what actually did or didn't happen.

The Middlesex District Attorney's Office issued this statement:

"The victim in this case was in a vulnerable situation and suffered highly disturbing injuries. We are conducting an active investigation into what caused these injuries, who may be responsible and whether crimes were committed."

"It's tearing me apart. I don't know how many times I've cried up there watching him lay in bed. I don't want to see him hurt again and I don't want to see anyone hurt again," said Ed Butler.

All of the people involved in Danny's care and the residents at the group home are part of this investigation.

Danny Butler is currently at Tewksbury State Hospital recovering from his injuries.

A spokesperson for the Department of Developmental Services, formerly known as the Department of Mental Retardation, tells us the department has zero tolerance for abuse and if a case of abuse is found at a group home, the license is reviewed and steps are taken to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The head of the Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell said his organization is cooperating with the investigation.