The late radio host’s eldest daughter opens up on the 10th anniversary of his death, claiming he suffered elder abuse and neglect before dying at 82.
Kerri Kasem will soon fly to Norway to visit her father’s grave for the first time. This journey is a mix of emotions for her.
“It was an unmarked grave,” Kerri explains, sharing how her father was laid to rest by his wife, Jean, after he passed on June 15, 2014. He was 82. Casey’s final years were marked by a decline due to advanced Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body dementia, eventually leading to his death from sepsis and an ulcerated bedsore after being moved from one state to another in his last days.
“Someone in Oslo who heard my dad’s story felt so sad about what happened and put a tiny plaque there,” Kerri reveals.
An unknown person found this grave, which led Kerri to discover where her father was buried.
“That woman who found it will host me this week while I pay my respects,” Kerri shares. “When my father died, I told my siblings that 10 years would go by quickly, and now it’s here.”
The day Casey died holds extra significance for Kerri. “He died on Father’s Day and World Elder Abuse Day,” she shares. When she discovered the latter, “I had chills in my body, I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “My dad couldn’t have given me a clearer sign. That’s what I believe.”
Kerri and her siblings have long believed that their father suffered elder abuse and neglect from their stepmother, Jean. Kerri has spoken publicly about this, including through her podcast, Bitter Blood.
“She’d move him to keep him from us,” Kerri claims about Jean. “She put him in hospitals for weeks to avoid dealing with him. It was horrifying.”
Kerri also feels Jean buried Casey in Norway, against his wishes of being laid to rest at Los Angeles’ Forest Lawn cemetery. Jean strongly denies all of these claims.
Jean defends herself through her attorney, claiming she devoted herself to Casey’s care and ensuring he got the finest support. She hopes Kerri finds peace and stops the attacks.
In 2014, the family made headlines when Casey’s whereabouts before his death were in question.
As reported, Jean checked Casey out of a Santa Monica medical facility. They went to a hotel in Las Vegas before flying to Washington, where he was taken to a private residence.
The ambulance driver reported suspected elder abuse, which led to authorities locating Casey in Washington. He had a severe ulcer and had missed medical care for about a week.
Kerri was with Casey when he died in Washington, although Jean took possession of his remains and moved them to Norway. Kerri believes this was the result of years of abuse.
Casey divorced his first wife, Linda, in 1979 and married Jean in 1980. They had a daughter, Liberty, in 1990.
“Jean pretended to like us at first,” Kerri says about her and her siblings, “but later called us ‘the other family.’”
Kerri claims Jean often mistreated their father, even before his health declined. “She would scream at him daily.”
Despite their pleas, Casey wouldn’t leave Jean. “He’d say, ‘It’ll get better,’ but towards the end, he admitted he made a mistake.”
Casey never forgot his children despite his dementia. “He could no longer speak, and I knew it pained him,” Kerri says. “I knew he wasn’t being treated well, and that hurt me.”
Kerri filed a wrongful death suit against Jean, but the district attorney found insufficient evidence. They settled without publicizing the terms. “I did everything I could,” Kerri says.
Now Kerri is working with Californian senator Susan Rubio to strengthen elder care laws. “Things need to change,” she says.
As she prepares for her trip to Norway, Kerri finds solace in her and her father’s shared belief in reincarnation. “He’s like, I’m not with my body. That’s not me. I’m with you,” she says.
