Siblings charged with man’s neglect

Detectives say Elizabeth and Joseph Gramlich failed to care for their brother Timothy Gramlich, who died in October

ABINGTON >> While a 71-year-old Abington man awaits court action on homicide-related charges for allegedly neglecting his younger brother who had Down syndrome and who died of an untreated medical condition, two other siblings now face charges for their alleged roles in the victim’s neglect.

Elizabeth Anne Gramlich, 59, of the 200 block of Edge Hill Road, and Joseph T. Gramlich, 63, of the 500 block of East Main Street, Lansdale, each was recently arraigned on a single felony charge of neglect of care of a dependent person in connection with alleged incidents that occurred in October 2020.

The siblings were arrested on July 6 and are currently awaiting preliminary hearings on the charge before District Court Judge Juanita A. Price. They remain free on $25,000 unsecured bail while awaiting those initial hearings.

With the charge, detectives alleged Elizabeth and Joseph Gramlich intentionally, knowingly or recklessly caused the death of their brother Timothy Gramlich by failing to provide treatment, care, goods and services necessary to preserve the health, safety and welfare of a care dependent person. A conviction of the charge carries a possible maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.

Elizabeth and Joseph are sister and brother of Harry A. Gramlich, 71, who allegedly was Timothy Gramlich’s main caretaker and who was charged last month with more serious charges of third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and neglect of care of dependent person in connection with Timothy’s death.

Harry Gramlich, also of the 200 block of Edge Hill Road address, was released on $100,000

unsecured bail and also is awaiting a preliminary hearing on the charges before Price. A conviction of third-degree murder carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.

An investigation began about 2:27 p.m. Oct. 18, 2020, when Abington police responded to the Gramlich family’s Edge Hill Road residence for a report of a deceased person. Harry Gramlich informed officers that his brother, Timothy, 52, was deceased in a second-floor bedroom, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective John Wittenberger and Abington Detective Sgt. Drew Kent.

Police found the naked body of Timothy Gramlich wrapped in an article of clothing on a bare, soiled mattress, according to court papers.

“The mattress and floor of the bedroom appeared stained with bodily fluids and feces. The odor of urine and feces was profound. The body of Timothy Gramlich was unclean and appeared emaciated,” Wittenberger and Kent alleged in the arrest affidavit.

In another front bedroom that appeared to be used for storage, police found “a severely soiled mattress with a ripped, soiled sheet” and “a soiled, wet pillow,” detectives said.

Harry Gramlich told police that his brother had Down syndrome and that he last saw his brother alive about 8 p.m. on Oct. 17 when he took him food, according to court papers.

The victim resided in the single-family residence with Harry Gramlich and Elizabeth Gramlich, according to court documents. Harry and Elizabeth resided on the first floor of the residence.

“Harry Gramlich identified himself as Timothy’s sole caretaker,” Wittenberger and Kent alleged.

A subsequent autopsy determined Timothy Gramlich died of urosepsis, which is caused by a urinary tract infection, and the manner of death was ruled undetermined.

“The examination suggested Timothy Gramlich had been neglected and had he undergone routine medical evaluations and care, his death from urosepsis could have been prevented,” detectives alleged.

A forensic pathologist said other indicators of neglect were Timothy’s weight of 76 pounds, “fixed, flexion contractures of hips and knees with no pathological basis for them,” pressure induced ulcerations of his lower extremities and the “poor, soiled conditions Harry Gramlich exposed him to,” according to the arrest affidavit.

“These unsanitary conditions and neglect of Timothy Gramlich, a care-dependent person,” demonstrated the “willful and wanton disregard” by Harry and Elizabeth “of an ongoing, unjustified risk that contributed to and resulted in Timothy Gramlich’s death,” Wittenberger and Kent wrote in the arrest affidavits.

Harry Gramlich allegedly told detectives he fed his brother twice a day and with each meal gave him two bottles of water, adding he typically fed Timothy peanut butter sandwiches and oatmeal and other meals that were prepared in a crock pot and that his brother was eating meals without any assistance.

“Gramlich described his brother as bedridden for the past six months. Gramlich admitted that Timothy had been non-verbal for many years. Gramlich explained Timothy had not received any medical care in years,” Wittenberger and Kent alleged.

Harry Gramlich allegedly told detectives that prior to police arriving at the home he had placed the bedding to the mattress in trash bags because they were soiled with urine and feces and that he felt embarrassed. Harry Gramlich also stated he scraped Timothy’s bedroom floor in an attempt to remove feces, according to the criminal complaint.

When asked about the severely soiled mattress found in the front bedroom, Harry Gramlich allegedly identified it as the mattress Timothy had been using until a week before his death.

When detectives interviewed Elizabeth Gramlich, she told them she had not seen Timothy for many years, “to the extent that she could not recall the last time she saw him inside the residence,” according to court documents.

“Elizabeth explained that Harry Gramlich was Timothy’s only caretaker although she resided in the same, shared residence,” Wittenberger and Kent alleged. “Elizabeth stated Timothy regressed to his second story bedroom in the 1990s after their mother died and it was there that he remained. Elizabeth stated Timothy’s bedroom door was always closed when she would enter the second floor.”

Joseph Gramlich, who did not live in the home, told detectives he had not seen Timothy since 2003 because Timothy “withdrew and didn’t leave his room unless he was going to use the bathroom,” according to court papers. Joseph Gramlich believed the last time Timothy had seen a physician was in the early 2000’s, according to court papers.

Joseph Gramlich allegedly told investigators he was Timothy’s representative payee for Social Security funds, which were automatically deposited into a bank account each month. Joseph claimed he would withdraw $3,600 a year and give it to Elizabeth to buy groceries for the year and stated he would use $3,000 each year to pay for Timothy’s medical insurance, according to court papers.

Detectives said Joseph Gramlich held a joint bank account with Timothy, who was named beneficiary.

On April 16, 2011, the account balance was $83,685.44 and as of Oct 31, 2020, the account balance was $14,418.27, according to court papers. Timothy’s monthly Social Security checks had been directly deposited into the account, detectives said.

On April 10, 2014, the amount of $70,000 was withdrawn from the joint account and deposited into a high yield savings account in the name of Joseph Gramlich, and as of Oct. 30, 2020, the account balance was $38,232.99, according to court documents.

“Joseph Gramlich, the representative payee for Timothy Gramlich’s Social Security benefits, failed to provide Timothy care, goods or services that were necessary to preserve his health, safety and welfare,” Wittenberger and Kent alleged in the arrest affidavit.

The prosecution of the siblings is being handled by Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson and co-prosecutor Gwendolyn Marie Kull.