Neglect of veteran
Ray Davis jr
Criminal Investigative Updates
Brian K. Ditch, of Salem, Missouri, was sentenced to thirteen years in prison for neglecting his uncle, a quadriplegic US Army veteran. Ditch concealed his uncle’s death and corpse to fraudulently obtain $1.8 million in his uncle’s disability benefits. Ditch became solely responsible for his uncle’s care in 2008 and kept him locked away, subjecting him to insufficient care and verbal abuse. Ditch fraudulently gained access to his uncle’s financial accounts and regularly wired money to himself. After his uncle’s death around 2019, Ditch concealed it from relatives, the VA, and the Social Security Administration so he could continue to steal his uncle’s benefits. He hid the body in a shed behind his house. The VA OIG, the SSA OIG, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated this case with the Salem Police Department.