Missing for weeks: shocking discovery of 71-year-old man’s body in nursing home

Family members of the 71-year-old Elderly Man are seeking answers following the claim that he was discovered deceased in the closet in a Miami nursing facility where he was receiving treatment.

Elin Etienne, a North Dade Nursing and Rehabilitation Center patient on Aug. 14 to heal an aneurysm in the brain, According to his family of his. They informed NBC News and local media that one week later, they received a phone call saying Elin was missing.

The family claims that when they approached the facility, the staff said Etienne had "checked himself out." However, the family says that the nursing facility refused to confirm his signature upon request and prompted staff to report a missing person's report.

On Aug. 23, the North Miami Police Department issued the "missing vulnerable adult" alert for Etienne on social media. The notice stated that the last time he saw him in the building was about 2 p.m. the day before when he was wearing a green shirt and blue shorts.

Police confirmed to NBC News that a person was found dead in the center. The police told WSVN that the body was found in a closet.

Etienne's family members said they received news of his death in Sept. 2. Etienne's niece, Kimberly Etienne, told NBC News, "A detective came ... and said that he was found in a closet, decomposed to the point of no recognition."

Ruth Keisha Etienne, Etienne's grandchild, spoke of the shock of her family in a statement to WSVN: "We thought that he went missing; we never expected him to be dead in the nursing home."

The family members said Etienne was scheduled to undergo 12 weeks of physical and rehabilitation therapy. They are currently organizing his funeral while searching for the cause of his death.

North Dade Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre announced to local media that it would offer condolences and cooperate with the authorities. The center added, "We are compassionate caregivers, and that will help us get through this difficult experience."

The North Miami Police Department and the nursing facility have yet to respond to inquiries from PEOPLE magazine.

Etienne's family remembers his former culinary career as "loving" and "selfless." His niece Kimberly told NBC News, "There's no such thing as him coming around and not lighting up a room with a joke, laughter, humor."

Investigation into what happened that led to Etienne's death is in progress.