Woman's body found in pond outside independent living facility

MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Mishawaka police say that a woman was found dead in a pond at the Waterford independent living facility at Edison Lakes.

The woman's body was found in the pond around 7:30 a.m.

The woman had dementia and police are calling her death an accidental drowning.

ABC57 wanted to know how a woman with dementia was able to leave the facility unsupervised and undetected.

We looked into the licensing for the Waterford at Edison Lakes and found the facility only claims to be an independent living facility.

That differs from other retirement communities claiming to be assisted living or even unlicensed assisted living.

Based on state law, an independent living facility does not have to provide 24-7 supervision for their residents.

The family of one resident said at one point the Waterford did advertise as an unlicensed assisted living facility. That means they offered services such as bathing and dressing but there are no regulations.