90-year-old nursing home resident raped in Hyde Park, police say

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A Cincinnati man is jailed on charges of raping a 90-year-old nursing home resident.

Peris Ross, 35, is at the Hamilton County Justice Center.

Ross is accused of raping a resident at Hyde Park Health Center Assisted Living, according to the arrest report.

“My friend walked up in there and saw the marks, and the scars, and the evidence,” said Frances Knighten, a lifelong friend of the victim’s daughter. Knighten says she thinks of the victim as her own mother.

“To get that call of her screaming and crying, I’m the phone —'You’re not going to believe this, my momma got raped. I’m like, what? Are you kidding me? Ninety years old and she was raped,” Knighten said.

Knighten says she would visit her friend’s mother at the nursing home and that on her visits, being a minister, she would pray with the other residents.

She says she’s worried there could be other victims.

“They had women in there that were mute,” she said. “They had women in there that were in a wheelchair. They had women in there that were in the bed and can’t move. Some can talk, some can moan, and my heart dropped.”

Knighten says if you have any family members or friends in any nursing home, it’s important to check in on them.

“Not just go in there and hold their hand... ‘How are you doing? I brought you a snack, I brought you a gift...’ No. Sit down. Look at your family. Look into their eyes. Pull back the blanket. Look at their body. Look at their body. See if you see any marks or scars,” she said.

FOX19 NOW reached out to Hyde Park Health Center Assisted Living for a comment but have not heard back.

A judge set Ross’ bond at $60,000, according to court documents.

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