PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.: A man in Panama City Beach, Florida, is facing charges after allegedly leaving his deceased wife on the living room floor for days while his dogs chewed on her remains. The defendant, identified as Gary Dean Johnson, 60, reportedly told police that he kept her body because he “did not want to lose her.”
On Saturday, police received an emergency call from Johnson, who claimed that an unknown person was in his home and that his wife, identified as Evamarie Macgregor, was lying on the floor and appeared to be deceased. When officers arrived at the scene, Johnson did not respond to their attempts to make contact. Through the front window, one of the officers observed a woman lying on the living room floor with apparent blood present around her.
After unsuccessful attempts to get a response from Johnson, the police forced their way into the house and finally managed to speak with him. They observed that Macgregor’s face had skin missing, and her entire left foot had been completely removed from her leg. Johnson allegedly explained that his dogs had chewed on her foot, resulting in its removal. Johnson appeared disoriented and not lucid.
During questioning at the police department, Johnson admitted that he remembered his wife calling for help from the living room but that she was already deceased by the time he reached her. He claimed that he kept her body on the living room floor for approximately four days because he did not want to lose her. Based on the level of decomposition, it was estimated that Macgregor had been deceased for over five days.
Johnson has been arrested and is currently being held at the Bay County jail on a $5,000 bond. Currently, he is facing charges of improper storage of human remains. The local public defender’s office is set to pick up the case on Wednesday at the arraignment.
The motive behind Johnson’s actions remains unclear at this time. Currently, authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Macgregor’s death and the defendant’s behavior following her passing.