Missing Casey Kasem Located, but Still Not Home
Mr. Radio has been found.
Casey Kasem, who went missing amid a family battle over his welfare, has been located in Washington State, but the turmoil is far from over.
"We have received confirmation that Casey Kasem has been found," a spokesperson for his daughter, Kerri Kasem, told "The Insider With Yahoo." "The family has grave concerns about his health and will do everything in their power to bring him back home."
That's the thing: The ailing Top 40 radio host — who, at 82, suffers from Lewy body disease, a common cause of dementia — still isn't home. More than a week after he was removed from his Los Angeles medical facility, authorities did a welfare check at a Kitsap County, Washington, address given to them by California Adult Protective Services on Wednesday, according to ABC News. Casey, who's reportedly worth $80 million, was found inside with his wife, Jean. When questioned by authorities, he said he was on vacation and was cognizant of his whereabouts — though it's important to note that Casey is no longer able to speak due to his medical condition. Spokesperson Deputy Scott Wilson said, "At this time, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Department does not believe this is a police issue."
The battle over Casey is a long and complicated one. His daughter Kerri — who was granted temporary conservatorship of her father on Monday, despite objections from Jean's lawyer — has long said that her stepmother, a 60-year-old actress who appeared on "Cheers," has been blocking her and her siblings from seeing their father. In court earlier this week, the judge ordered an investigation into Casey's whereabouts after it was suggested Jean had him taken out of the country.
Kerri and her siblings Julie and Mike (from Casey's first marriage to Linda Myers Naylor) have waged a campaign to be part of their father's medical care decisions — and life. In October, they protested in front of Kasem's home when they claimed Jean was preventing them from seeing their dad. For her part, Jean, who married Casey in 1980, said through her attorney last fall, "These children falsely claim that their stepmother is wicked and is keeping her husband prisoner. For reasons they know all too well, their presence at this stage would be toxic and extremely distressing for Casey, Jean, and their daughter, Liberty, who have had enough of their cruelty."
Casey's children from his first marriage aren't the only family members concerned about Casey's care. "We're scared," Casey's brother, Mouner Kasem, told The Hollywood Reporter. "Is he getting the care he needs?"
On Wednesday night, Kerri, who founded the non-profit Kasem Cares, which supports the rights of adult children with an ailing parent, seemed relieved that the mystery of her father's whereabouts was over, posting on Twitter:
She previously told NBC News what triggered her father's disappearance. Kerri said she and her siblings had an "incredible" visit with their him at his hospital on May 6, staying two to three hours, during which time she said he "had a smile from ear to ear." However, later that night, Jean, miffed over the visit, removed him from the facility and wouldn't tell anyone where they were going.
"She couldn't, in my opinion, stand it, ripped him out of the facility he was getting care in," Kerri said. "This is not a man you can just move ... He needed to be transported properly under doctor's orders and care. And we believe he was not."
Casey is best known for his coast to coast radio countdown shows, including American Top 40 and "Casey's Top 40," but he also voiced Shaggy in the cartoon Scooby Doo.