Authorities Hush On Results Of Hope-Wymore Investigation

By Gordon HopkinsIt has been more than a year since an investigation into a death of a resident at the now-shuttered Hope-Wymore Assisted Living facility was publicly announced by former Wymore Police Chief Bobby Martinez. Thus far, Martinez, Gage County Attorney Roger Harris and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Adult Protective Services have all refused to reveal the results of the investigation or even acknowledge such an investigation ever took place.Hope-Wymore closed its doors October 1, 2024. It was just one of many assisted living facilities in Nebraska that have closed in recent years. Rural communities in particular have struggled to find placement for those with special needs as the number of qualified facilities continues to dwindle. There were 32 residents at the time of closure that had to be relocated. Many were transferred to Hope Cooperative Care in Plattsmouth. Both Hope-Wymore owner Dave Campbell and General Manager Ginger Hughes put the blame for the closure in part on the negative publicity created by the investigation.In an email to FJN, Hughes said, “There was never any follow-up to the outcome of any investigation by the media. This could likely be due to the fact that information about the investigation was not public due to HIPPA laws.”HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a US law enacted in 1996 that sets national standards for protecting patient health information. HIPAA guidelines prevent the release of the deceased's name or cause of death. Hughes has noted that this makes difficult for Hope-Wymore to defend itself.Hughes was able to say that the resident in question did not die at Hope-Wymore.“While it has been reported that someone that lived at Hope Wymore died there, that is not an accurate report,” said Hughes. “Once that person was transported to the hospital their care was in the hands of whatever hospital and provider, they were under.” Police Chief MartinezRobert “Bobby” Martinez was sworn in as Wymore's police chief on August 3, 2023. At that time, he was the city’s only law enforcement officer, although he had been looking to hire more officers.On February 21, 2024, announced that he was investigating the death of a 52-year-old woman at Hope-Wymore, an assisted living facility.In an interview with Lincoln television station KLKN, “There were some claims in there made by the reporter, it was an anonymous report, that there was some stuff going on within the facility for medication distribution for this person.”At that time, Martinez indicated the matter was not a criminal investigation and that an autopsy was pending.According to that KLKN report, “Chief Martinez says he is working alongside Gage County Sheriffs and Adult Protective Services in this case.”FJN reached out to Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson, who said, “We had nothing to do with that one. You might reach out to the county attorney’s office.”Just 10 months after he started the job Wymore's new police chief, Martinez resigned from that position. The Wymore City Council officially accepted his resignation on June 5, 2024. He later took a job as police chief in Valley, NebraskaFJN reached out to Martinez to ask about the results of his investigation. He did not respond.Wymore Fire Chief Mark Meintz is acting police chief until a new police chief is hired. When asked about the Hope-Wymore investigation, he also referred FJN to the county attorney’s office.Hughes advised FJN, “There have been no autopsy results disclosed to Hope-Wymore.” Gage County AttorneyFJN emailed Gage County Attorney Roger Harris several times, asking about the investigation. He did not respond to any of those emails. On March 11, 2025, FJN sent a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request for any documents relating to the Hope-Wymore investigation. Harris responded on March 17, “This appears to be a request for documents which are part of a criminal investigation and excepted from disclosure under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 84-712.05(5).”Harris did not respond to a follow-up question, asking if investigation was completed or ongoing. Adult Protective ServicesThe death was reported anonymously to Adult Protective Services on February 8, 2024.Last year, FJN filed a FOIA request with DHHS. On October 3, 2024, DHHS provided a redacted “violations report,” it did not include anything about the investigation into the death of the resident.On March 20, 2025, DHHS Director of Communications Jeff Powell wrote in an email, “DHHS is unable to release any information regarding the deceased individual.”

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