ARLINGTON — Police uncovered at least 19 other deaths that may be linked to an Arlington businesswoman who was charged with endangerment earlier this year.
Regla “Su” Becquer, who ran an illegal home care business, is now the focus of a much larger investigation. Arlington police have been investigating Becquer and her unlicensed company, Love & Caring for People LLC, which operated community care homes, for months.
“From everything we’ve learned, it’s probably safe to say she didn’t love or care about anyone,” said Lt. Kimberly Harris of Arlington police.
Authorities discovered that her company, which purported to provide supervised personal care to indigent adults in five homes in Tarrant County, was actually committing abuse, neglect and fraud.
“We were deeply concerned about what we saw in these homes and what we had heard up to that point. Today I am here to tell you that this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Harris said.
Since September 2022, the police have arrested at least 20 Her clients who have died and say there could be more. Most of the victims were cremated or buried, and only two were autopsied. One of those autopsies is currently under review, while the other found that 60-year-old Steven “Kelly” Pankratz died of drug poisoning while in Becquer’s care.
Investigators found that the drugs in Pankratz’s system had never been prescribed by doctors. Last week, the Tarrant County coroner ruled Pankratz’s death a homicide and charged Becquer with murder. She is being held in the Tarrant County Jail on $1.5 million bail.
“I’ve been a police officer in this area for 23 years now and I’ve never seen anything like this… we had to keep investigating and it was disturbing to find out the details about these people, to go into homes that people thought were a good place and then find out they hadn’t been checked. It’s very disturbing,” said Chris Powell of Arlington police.
The allegations continue to mount as investigators look into Becquer, family members and even people she dated and who worked as employees at five homes. According to another arrest document, a 53-year-old woman told Arlington firefighters and police officers that Becquer was holding her against her will.
Investigators said the victim, who has cerebral palsy and diabetes and can only move her arms, said conditions in Becquer’s home were so horrific that she slit her wrists. An affidavit said her goal was to get emergency responders to the house.
In addition to the deaths, investigators found evidence that Becquer had taken possession of his clients’ phones, cars and even homes.
Police say much more investigation needs to be done on each individual client.
“Whether it’s 20, 22 or more, everyone is being thoroughly investigated. We’re going down the list and doing a full investigation on each one,” Harris said. Arlington police urged alleged victims and their families to call APD at 817-575-3230.
Nicole Nielsen
