Man ‘Imprisoned’ Quadriplegic Army Vet in Garage for Years to Steal Benefits

A Missouri man is facing a shocking list of federal charges after authorities say he imprisoned his disabled uncle—an Army veteran—and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in government benefits, even continuing the scheme for years after the veteran died by hiding his body in a trash can.

Brian K. Ditch, 44, has been indicted on multiple felony charges including four counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of theft of government property, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court documents.

The disturbing case centers on Ditch’s uncle, identified in court filings as Veteran T.C., a quadriplegic who relied on disability benefits from Veterans Affairs and Social Security. Prosecutors say Ditch began serving as his uncle’s caregiver in 2008 but used the position to carry out a years-long pattern of physical abuse and financial exploitation.

“For over a decade, Defendant Brian K. Ditch regularly abused and imprisoned his uncle — a quadriplegic Army veteran — in order to steal his government disability benefits,” federal prosecutors wrote in the indictment. “After years of exploitation, neglect, and internment at the hands of the defendant, [the victim] died while he was in the exclusive custody of the defendant.”

Instead of reporting his uncle’s death in 2019, Ditch allegedly stuffed the body into a black trash bag and hid it inside a garbage can stored in a shed behind the house. He then lied to both relatives and law enforcement, claiming his uncle had either moved into a nursing home or left with another caretaker.

It wasn’t until March 21, 2025, during the execution of a search warrant, that police finally uncovered the truth—finding T.C.’s partially frozen remains still hidden in the shed.

During the years that followed the veteran’s death, Ditch allegedly kept the fraud going, siphoning off at least $650,000 in government benefits intended for the care of his uncle. Authorities say that from 2008 to 2025, the victim’s accounts received nearly $1.9 million in deposits, a significant portion of which Ditch redirected to himself.

Rather than caring for his uncle, the indictment claims Ditch kept the veteran locked in a garage for over 24 hours at a time, denying him food, water, and access to a toilet, forcing him to sit in his own waste. To make the theft appear legitimate, Ditch allegedly sent himself regular $1,000 payments from his uncle’s bank account, trying to disguise the stolen money as caregiver wages. Prosecutors say T.C. never approved those transfers.

The case has stunned even seasoned investigators, given its mix of extreme neglect, long-running deception, and the grim concealment of the veteran’s body for over five years.