NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A disabled senior woman in North Fort Myers finally received medical assistance, Monday, after living in an abandoned drug house for two months.
She was evicted from her home on Cypress Street in late December, after 9 people were arrested during a neighborhood drug bust. Although Eloise Gierke said she was not arrested or involved with the drug activity, she was evicted along with dozens of others on the street after properties were bought by a new owner. Those homes are now boarded up and uninhabitable. "There was a lot of drugs going on there, but I didn't stick my nose in other people's business," she said.
Friday, 4 In Your Corner checked in on Gierke, who resorted to living with no electricity or running water, in a 4 by 4 sliver of space inside an abandoned drug house. The house is full of trash, and frequented by drug users. The owner of the home said he allows Gierke to stay there. He claims he does not have the income to turn on utilities. Gierke told our reporters she pays this man to live in the home.
At the same time, Gierke is dealing with medical conditions that limit her mobility. "She defecates and urinates in herself daily because she has no facilities," said one neighbor.
Our crews called the United Way to get assistance for Gierke, but had no timeline as to when they would be able to get to her. Monday, we checked back with her. She was still living in the same conditions, though people who hang around the drug house were attempting to clean up some of the trash.
4 In Your Corner called DCF, which got an agent to respond to the property within two hours. The agent evaluated Gierke and determined she needed to be treated at a hospital.
Gierke was reluctant to accept the help because she did not want to leave her two dogs behind. After the DCF agent found a local animal hospital to care for the dogs, the 73-year-old finally agreed to be taken by an ambulance to an area hospital. "At least I won't be scared they'll be sold for crack," she told 4 In Your Corner reporters.
Gierke's two dogs will be medically treated while she is in the hospital. Her condition is unknown at the time, but 4 In Your Corner plans to keep up with her progress.
