The following is the story of how my son lost his battle with severe mental illness, how I’ve

battled with the city of San Francisco to obtain reports, records and information related to his
death and briefly how a system disposed of one of its most disabled clients as easily as used cat
litter. The same city enforces laws on recycling plastic more stringently than laws with regard to
the treatment of those with mental illness. `
This story is intentionally dry and direct. This is Mental Health Awareness Month. It is also one
year since my son’s reported death yet had a day of peace.
My son is, was and will always be Evan Rumlow, date of birth 10/08/1987. The date of his
recorded death is May 4, 2021. Evan was severely afflicted with schizophrenia and eventually
D.I.D. (affliction with schizophrenia was 14 years). His severe mental illness left him severely
disabled. A few years into his affliction he found his was to San Francisco and eventually under
the care of Citywide Case Management, 982 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103, 415-597-8067
On March 30, 2021 Evan’s case manager, Vicki Keller, emailed and told me she placed Evan on
California’s Missing Persons registry. He missed his weekly appointment and she had not seen
him for a week. Vicki would later tell me she did not complete a welfare check instead she only
called his apartment manager who told her Evan had not been recently seen.
On May 4th the San Francisco Medical Examiner called me to inform me Evan’s severely
decomposed body was found in his apartment. Evan was never missing; he was in his
apartment and eventually decomposed to the point that only his hair was identifiable. I needed
to provide a DNA sample to confirm his identity.
A CSI from Colorado, I live in a Centennial, Colorado, met with me the following day to collect
the sample. I provided her with my passport to prove my identity, she completed paperwork
that certified the sample was mine. It took another 2 months for this process to confirm the
remains found were indeed those of my son.
During this time, I was in contact with Citywide, University of San Francisco, San Francisco
Police Department, Evan’s previous doctors and multiple agencies throughout the Bay Area. I
wanted details related to the reason Evan was considered missing without a welfare check;
reports from any agency that were contacted during this time; Evan’s history with the Mental
Healthcare community and in effect, any and all information related to the care Evan received
prior to and during this time. I still have the numerous emails sent and received.
Citywide did not hold Vicki Keller accountable for her lack of care and her inaction. The police
department would not release records, I was given various reasons and remained in contact in
pursuit of the records. No other agency cooperated with requests for records.
Eventually the M.E. was able to confirm Evan’s identity and began to perform forensic tests on
his remains. I believe this started in June. During this time, I worked with Tulip Cremation so I
could have Evan’s remains cremated then sent to me In Colorado. I completed all necessary
documentation to proceed with this. Additionally, I was in contact with Citywide to cover the
costs of the cremation. This was settled before Evan’s remains were available, when they were I
contacted Tulip to start the cremation process, A Tulip321` representative contacted me to
inform me they were informed by the M.E.’s office that they no longer had Evan’s remains.
After another day of phone calls between Colorado and San Francisco then another day of
emails, this is currently the end of July, I was told that Evan’s remains were misplaced. I don’t
know how my son’s remains were finally cremated; I did receive them at the end of August
from the Medical Examiner’s office. No note was enclosed, simply a box of ashes that were
once the body my son who the city of San Francisco deemed disposable
I was told final reports and testing would not be completed for several months so once I
received Evan’s remains, I waited to contact people and agencies until the new year. I restarted
my search for answers in January, 2022.
Emails, phone calls, requests for records, requests for information. Each one was met with
similar responses; no one could help, I needed to call a different agency; I would be transferred
to another person. By the end of very long day, I would often be further behind than when I
started; if not due to lack of answers than due to emotional exhaustion.
A request I made for copies of the audio recordings of the 911 interactions was answered by a
letter that told me I needed permission of the patient or the patient’s next of kin.
I’ve not been able to hold the box that holds my son's remains, my partner has moved it for
me. He put it on a high shelf where I don’t need to touch it and I cannot see it. It was
incomprehensible to me that I would be asked for his signature or my so I could complete
another request for records related to his death. The letter that denied my request cited HIPAA
laws. Had anyone with the agency decided to be a human it would have been known that “the
patient” is a container of cremated remains and “next kin” was proven innumerous times.
On April 27, 2022 I finally received the SFPD Incident Report recorded the incidents of May 4 th.
Part of the narrative taken by reporting officer, Matthew Parker, #230 reads:
“I made contact with (RI)Nidhi Patel who is a property manager at 48 6 th St... Patel said
that the tenant of unit#36, Evan Rumlow (DOB 10/8/1987), failed to pay his rent this
month. Patel said that she knocked on the door to unit #36 and nobody answered. Patel
said she used a key to open the door and observed Doe lying on the floor. Patel then
called 911”
The report from Nidhi Patel “the tenant Evan Rumlow failed to pay his rent...” showed
Evan’s case manager, Vicki Keller, did not adequately take responsibility of Evan’s
needs.
This is a copy of an email I received from Viki Keller:
“On Thursday, April 29, 2021, 10:18 AM, Keller, Vicki <vicki.keller@ucsf.edu> wrote:
Hi Cindy - I just called the hotel and they have not seen Evan. I plan to instruct the payee to
continue paying his rent there. Do you agree?

Vicki Keller, LCSW (she/her)

Clinical Social Worker II
Citywide Focus- Senderos
UCSF/SFGH Department of Psychiatry
982 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415)597-8067"

Why wasn’t Evan’s rent paid by the person of trust and in authority, Vicki Keller, who
was employed to care for him? Why didn’t anyone check the apartment of a young man
who was known to be severely disabled? Why was a young person with a severe
mental illness considered disposable?

Once I had this report, I was certain I could obtain my son’s death certificate and get
copies of the 911 audio recordings, almost one year after his reported death. That
afternoon I called SFDPH. Before I ordered a copy I asked if I was reported as his
mother or next of kin. I was informed that field read, “unknown”.
After a year of riding Hell’s carousel, making innumerable phone calls to countless
agencies and individuals in San Francisco, emailing even more agencies and
individuals. After providing a certified DNA sample in order to positively identify my
son’s severely decomposed body his death certificate reported I was “unknown”.
Above the signature of whomever signs a death certificate is this statement:
“This is to certify that this document is a true copy of the official record filed with Vital
Records”
Several employees at the Medical Examiner’s office either spoke with or exchanged
emails with me, there was no confusion that I was his mother.
I called their office, spoke with Rikki Moore and was told this field read unknown
because I didn’t complete the paperwork for cremation. I repeated to Rikki what
happened last July. Rikki told me their office couldn’t correct the document and I
needed to call Vital Records in Sacramento.
I called that office and after 1 ½ hours on hold I hung up. I called the following day,
Thursday, April 28, 2022. After being transferred 3 times I was told that office could not
make the change to the death certificate, the Medical Examiner’s office could only make
that change and it could be changed with one phone call.
I am at a complete loss of words to explain my disbelief at the number of callous,
insensitive, incompetent employees who work not just with people with disabilities but
with the people of those who receive the unfortunate news of their death.
The death of my son created a cavernous wound. Having to endure his death under the
added circumstances of Evan being ignored and left to die and decompose to the point
that his skin and eyes were gone made this wound infected. I’ve been grieving the loss
of Evan for one year but each time I’m told of another way the last years of his life and
then the aftermath of his death was butchered he dies again and any scarring that has
begun is ripped away.
I tell Evan’s story not just for answers for myself or justice for Evan but for the following.
There are millions of other adults severely disabled by mental illness. Millions who are
ignored by a system designed to protect and care for these individuals.
When our children were minors, we often trusted their care to teachers, doctors, care
providers. These are persons of trust in a position of authority. If our minor children
were abused or harmed by any of these people, they were held accountable.
When our children surpassed the age of majority and became disabled, we no longer
had a say in any part of their lives and needed to trust the professionals employed as
people in a position of authority to care for our adult children. Evan was never given that
care. There are millions of other people with mental illness who are denied that care.
This needs to change, I cannot walk away from the loss of my child without doing what
is necessary to prevent this from happening to another child, to prevent another parent
from experiencing the immeasurable pain I continue to feel.
If I did, I would be just as heartless, just as callous as every individual who left me to
spin on Hell’s Carousel. Evan was never that person, I will not let this be his legacy.

Cynthia Rumlow
Fmccn1119@att.net