She Stayed in Hotels While They Lived in a Bus: Memphis Police Discover Disabled Adults in Heartbreaking Conditions

What started as a routine call to a Memphis auto shop turned into something far more disturbing — and tragic.

Police officers responding to a medical call at a Goodyear tire shop on Union Avenue early Tuesday morning found a yellow school bus parked nearby, with a trailer hitched to the back. Inside that bus, they found six adults — all disabled — living in what authorities described as “inhumane and unlivable” conditions. The woman responsible for their care, 61-year-old Bernice Lee Jarrett, was nowhere in sight. She had been staying in hotels.

A Disturbing Discovery Inside the Bus

When officers entered the bus, they were overwhelmed by what they saw. There was no running water. No food. No working toilet. The inside was filthy, with the six adults — five with intellectual disabilities and one with dementia — wearing dirty clothes and showing clear signs of neglect.

Even more alarming, one of the passengers had been critically injured the day before. But instead of receiving medical help, he remained in the bus — untreated, in pain, and alone.

Outside, in the trailer hitched to the bus, three goats were living in equally miserable conditions. The entire setup had been parked there for two days.

Who Was Supposed to Be Caring for Them?

Bernice Jarrett, according to police, had been staying in hotels during the nights while the six disabled adults were left in the bus. She claimed they were traveling from Texas to Virginia when they stopped in Memphis. She was arrested and charged with multiple counts of neglect.

Authorities say Jarrett had assumed responsibility for these adults. Whether she had legal guardianship is still under investigation, but what’s clear is that she was the only person with them — and she chose to leave them behind night after night.

Tragedy Follows Neglect

Sadly, it didn’t end with just a discovery of poor conditions. One of the individuals found in the bus has since died. Officials haven’t released the person’s name or confirmed whether it was the same passenger who had suffered the earlier injuries.

This death has pushed the charges against Jarrett further — she now faces one count of aggravated neglect of a vulnerable adult, in addition to five counts of neglect. Her bond is currently set at $80,000.

How Could This Happen?

Many in the Memphis community are shocked, heartbroken, and angry. How could someone responsible for vulnerable individuals treat them this way? How could they be living in a broken-down school bus while their caregiver was in a hotel room?

There are also broader questions being raised: How are caregivers vetted and monitored? Who ensures disabled adults aren’t being neglected or exploited?

The situation has left families, advocates, and lawmakers calling for change.

A Wake-Up Call for Oversight and Compassion

This story isn’t just about a caregiver’s failure. It’s about a system that allowed it to happen. It’s about people who were depending on someone to care for them and instead were abandoned. And now, a life has been lost.

The remaining five adults have been placed in protective care, and investigations are ongoing. For now, what’s left is a bus that became a symbol of suffering — and a community reckoning with how this could happen on its streets.

As more details unfold, the hope is that this tragedy can at least lead to something better — real change that protects our most vulnerable from ever being left behind like this again.