Dedham Care Facility Worker, Resident Found Dead At Separate Hotels

DEDHAM (CBS) - A devastated family in Newton is struggling to understand the sudden loss of their adult son with special needs.

Forty-one-year old Jeffrey Goldstein lived at a group home in Dedham. He was last seen Monday morning, leaving Venture Community Services for an appointment, with longtime caregiver Mary MacKinnon. The two never returned.

Many hours later, Dedham Police found a Venture van at a Holiday Inn along Route 1. Jeffrey Goldstein's body was in a hotel room. There were no obvious signs of trauma or injury.

Just about five miles up Route 1, Norwood Police found Mary MacKinnon's personal car at a different Holiday Inn. The 74-year-old was also in a hotel room, dead of an apparent suicide.

The Goldsteins have known MacKinnon for many years and say she took good care of their son.

Her neighbors in Norwood say she was polite and friendly. "She used to work nights. That's all I know. Hello and goodbye and sometimes if I was walking she'd offer me a ride," Lois Myers said.

The Venture Care facility released a statement which says in part, "This is an extraordinarily tragic situation and we are doing everything possible to support family members."

As investigators try to piece together what happened, neighbors who just saw MacKinnon remain stunned. "You don't know those things until, they happen," Myers said.

The group home says there were no known issues between Goldstein and MacKinnon. Venture Care says all employees undergo background checks.

Autopsies will be conducted by the Chief Medical Examiner at a later date.