A 52-year-old man in Mesa was taken into custody and booked after officers discovered his adult son in a bathtub in conditions investigators described as extreme neglect. The father, identified as Melvin Shimkus, was arrested June 30 and charged with one count of vulnerable-adult abuse. Authorities said the son, 31-year-old Hunter Shimkus, suffers from a nerve disease that leaves him unable to walk or use his hands.
Booking photo released by the sheriff’s office of the 52-year-old man accused of leaving his disabled adult son in a bathtub, shown with the agency watermark.
Law enforcement had been to the family home previously in May after calls requesting a welfare check, but officers left at that time when both men declined assistance. When police returned on June 30, they found Hunter Shimkus in the bathroom. According to statements reported by responding officers, the bathroom smelled strongly of decay and human waste. The scene prompted immediate concern from investigators about the victim’s physical condition and the length of time he had been left without proper care.
Court filings and investigators’ observations detail the victim’s deteriorated physical state. Officers reported that Hunter’s leg was bent at the knee at an abnormal 90-degree angle and that his body was severely emaciated — so much so that muscle tissue had largely disappeared and only skin and bone remained visible in places. Authorities described numerous oozing sores on the victim’s body. A court document cited by investigators states the right leg had been secured in place with small ropes and that the right foot appeared significantly deformed.
An investigator summarized the extent of the injuries and the condition of the victim in stark terms, writing that Hunter Shimkus “clearly suffered from severe, severe, severe neglect.” The investigator added that the neglect “was so extreme that it caused significant, possible permanent injuries to the victim,” language included in the court record. Another family member who lives in the home told authorities that Hunter had been kept in the bathtub beginning May 16, a period of roughly seven weeks before the June 30 welfare check that led to the arrest.
Family members who spoke with authorities described repeated efforts to get the man medical attention. Hunter’s aunt, Carole Schofield, told investigators that family members “did everything that we could do” and that everyone attempted to persuade Hunter to accept hospital care. She said paramedics also tried to provide assistance but were turned away by the adult victim. "When the paramedics came, he said no. They turned around and walked off, said we can’t touch him. He’s an adult," she told investigators, according to the court record.
When officers encountered the scene on June 30, Melvin Shimkus told them his son’s inability to ambulate or use his hands was caused by a nerve disease and that he had offered to take Hunter to the hospital, but that the son had refused. Police have relied on their observations at the residence, statements in the court file and family members’ accounts in pursuing the vulnerable-adult abuse charge. In addition to the abuse charge, booking records show Melvin Shimkus was also arrested for two probation violations at the time of his June 30 arrest.
The accused man appears at a court hearing, standing before a podium with an officer behind him; he faces a vulnerable-adult abuse charge over the alleged neglect of his son.
According to jail records, Melvin Shimkus was booked on a $12,000 bond. The vulnerable-adult abuse charge stems from allegations that the victim was confined to the bathtub for approximately seven weeks and was deprived of adequate care during that period. Court documents allege the victim was extremely emaciated and that the conditions at the home, including the state of the bathroom and the victim’s injuries, rose to the level of severe neglect. The investigation remains a legal matter, and further proceedings will determine whether prosecutors will pursue additional charges or other actions related to the probation violations and the abuse allegation.
The arrest report and accompanying court documents lay out a detailed chronology of calls to the residence and the family’s interactions with emergency responders. While officers left the home during an earlier welfare check in May after both men declined assistance, the June response led to the victim being discovered in a condition that prompted immediate criminal charges against the father. The case file contains statements from family members and emergency personnel that describe the victim’s refusal of treatment when first offered and the subsequent condition documented by police and investigators at the June 30 welfare check.
Authorities have not released additional medical details beyond what is contained in the court documents and investigators’ statements regarding the victim’s injuries and condition. The charge pending against the father is a criminal allegation; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The district attorney’s office will determine whether to file formal charges after reviewing the investigation and available evidence. The most immediate public records reflect an ongoing investigation and an arrest that followed observations by law enforcement of severe physical neglect and the reported confinement of an incapacitated adult in the family residence.
Local news outlets report that after officers discovered Hunter Shimkus in the bathtub he was taken to a hospital for treatment; officials have not publicly released an update on his medical condition.
Police say they responded shortly before 10 p.m. on Monday, June 29, to a 911 call at a residence near Gilbert Road and Pueblo Avenue, north of Southern Avenue in Mesa.