Family of Sacramento disabled man found dead in apartment with caretaker files suit
The family of a Sacramento man with disabilities who was killed while under the care of a county provider has sued the city, Sacramento County and the state of California.
Richard McClintic, 59, was killed Nov. 6, 2025, at his South Natomas apartment, according to the coroner’s report, which listed the death as a homicide caused by asphyxiation, including smothering.
McClintic, who had cerebral palsy, was in the care of a provider through Sacramento County’s In-Home Supportive Services Public Authority at the time of his death, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Sacramento Superior Court by his sister.
From August to November 2025, McClintic’s provider blocked family members from entering the apartment on the 2000 block of San Juan Road to visit him, the suit alleged. Relatives contacted Sacramento police and the California Department of Social Services to request welfare checks, the lawsuit said.
During a Nov. 6 welfare check, Sacramento police detectives executed a search warrant at the apartment and found McClintic’s body inside, according to a department news release. The provider, Christina Leona Cowens, 41, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful disposal of human remains, grand theft and attempting to conceal a death.
After further investigation, Cowens was charged with McClintic’s murder and additional fraud-related offenses, the release said.
Officials from the city, county and state declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Other defendants — Alta California Regional Center, the Sacramento-based nonprofit agency that coordinates care for those with disabilities, and the Randall Group, the owner of the apartment complex — did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The suit, filed April 7, claims negligence and wrongful death and seeks economic and non-economic damages.
Cowens remained in the Sacramento County Jail, according to jail records. Her criminal case was ongoing, and her next court date was scheduled for July 9.
