Police have released disturbing footage of the living conditions of a non-verbal man with Down syndrome who weighed just 29 kilograms when he died, as authorities identified his caregiver as a person of interest.
Isaac Oar, 56, was pronounced dead at an Alice Street address in Ayr, south of Townsville, on August 10, 2023.
Queensland Police are investigating Mr Oar’s care and treatment and have made a renewed public appeal for information.
In harrowing footage released on Thursday, officers can be seen walking through a home in 2023 cluttered with belongings stacked on top of each other.
Entries to rooms within the home are blocked by boxes with objects spilling out of bags and containers.
Police urge members of the Burdekin community to come forward with information about Mr Oar’s care and treatment.
‘Isaac was found seriously malnourished – he was only 29 kilos at the time of his death,’ Detective Inspector Jason Shepherd told reporters on Thursday.
‘He was being cared for by a family member.
Queensland Police have released footage of inside Isaac Oar’s house in an attempt to gather more information about his death
Entries to rooms within the home were blocked by boxes with objects spilling out of bags and containers.
‘He hadn’t been or received any professional medical treatment in well over a decade so it makes the investigation quite complex.
‘We do believe people would have had contact with the family members, would have had contact with the house at times during the years preceding his death, and we believe that those people may be able to assist us.’
Police allege Mr Oar’s condition stemmed from years of neglect.
Det Insp Shepherd said Mr Oar’s primary caregiver, his older sister, was a person of interest in their investigation.
Footage released on Thursday shows police in 2023 entering the home to investigate the living condition Mr Oar lived in
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.
‘At this stage, the primary person of interest is the primary carer,’ Det Insp Shepherd said.
‘There’s no other information to suggest that other people would have been involved in him leading to be in the state that he was found in.’
If police did not find an offender responsible, the investigation would shift to the coroner and potentially a coronial inquest, Det Insp Shepherd said.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
Police urge anyone with information to come forward with information about Mr Oar
