Regla Becquer: Unlicensed Texas caregiver charged after 13 patients died in less than two years

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: A Texas caregiver, Regla Becquer, 49, is facing charges of abuse and endangerment following the deaths of 13 disabled individuals under her care within a span of less than two years.

Becquer, the proprietor of four care homes operating under her LLC 'Love and Caring for People', stands accused of neglecting her patients, leaving them to live in deplorable conditions while allegedly exploiting their finances.

Inside Regla Becquer's unlicensed care home scandal

Among the grave accusations leveled against her, Becquer is also alleged to have poisoned her patients. Chris Devendorf, the brother of one of the deceased patients, Kelly Pankratz, recounted disturbing changes in his brother's condition shortly after he entered Becquer's care.

"There was something different in his voice," Devendorf alleged. "He was slurring his speech. Sounded like he had something in his mouth." Despite her care homes are allegedly unlicensed, hospitals reportedly referred patients to Becquer when they did not meet the criteria for admission to licensed facilities, reported KLIF.

The investigation has revealed harrowing details of patients left in appalling conditions, with allegations of financial exploitation and identity theft surfacing alongside the more egregious accusations of neglect and abuse. Following Pankratz's passing in one of Becquer's residences, his cause of death remains undetermined, with no autopsy having been performed. The brother, troubled by the circumstances and is seeking to "know if he was drugged." 

Regulatory oversights exposed amidst Regla Becquer's arrest 

The case has also shed light on regulatory loopholes, with authorities still grappling to determine the full extent of Becquer's operations due to lax licensing requirements in the city of Arlington, where annual licensing is not mandated as it is in Dallas.

Becquer's arrest came to pass following a neighbor's report of a fallen patient in her backyard in November, last year, prompting a swift response from law enforcement. Upon police arrival, two additional patients were discovered inside the residence.

Allegedly, Becquer instructed a caregiver to prevent law enforcement "inside the home to check on the welfare of the patients." "Officers and EMS deemed that there was exigency to check the welfare of the other patients inside the home," stated the search warrant. Furthermore, suspicions have arisen regarding the circumstances of several patients' deaths, with family members demanding answers and investigations into potential foul play, including allegations of poisoning.