The family of a man whose remains were found months after he left Carle Health Methodist Hospital is suing the medical provider.
Logan Dunne, who was 32 at the time, reportedly left Carle Health Methodist Hospital on June 2, 2023. The Peoria County Sheriff’s Office said his remains were found in a wooded area of North Kickapoo Road months later in November 2023.
In a lawsuit filed this week in Peoria County Circuit Court, Brian Dunne, the independent administrator of Logan’s estate, names Methodist Medical Center of Illinois as the defendant, with three doctors and Trillium Place listed as respondents in discovery.
The 12-page complaint, reviewed by WCBU, lists four counts of liability claims, two under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act and two under the Illinois Survival Act, which allows the estate of a deceased person to pursue claims the person may have filed if they survived.
The suit claims Logan Dunne was receiving treatment for his mental health in late May 2023 at Carle Health Methodist Hospital’s secure psychiatric floor, when he was transferred to an unsecured floor for treatment of his uncontrolled diabetes. The plan, according to the suit, was to transfer him back to the psychiatric floor after a short time.
Logan Dunne left the hospital while allegedly waiting for a spot on the psychiatric floor to open up. The suit alleges Methodist staff witnessed him dress in street clothes and leave the hospital, and were negligent in not attempting to stop him.
The suit claims employees and staff of Methodist were negligent in 17 other various ways related to Dunne’s care, his departure from the hospital, and their actions after he left.
It also alleges the hospital staff told police Dunne’s admission to the psychiatric floor was voluntary, when it was involuntary.
The suit contains a request for at least $50,000 in damages from Methodist for the Dunne family.
“We are committed to the highest quality of care for all patients and take the trust put in our services seriously. We are unable to comment on pending litigation,” said a spokesperson for Carle Health in a statement.
A case management conference is scheduled for Oct. 31.
