Man faked Down syndrome to con caregivers into baths, diaper changes
An Arizona man is accused of pretending to have Down syndrome so he could hire caregivers who bathed him and changed his diapers, authorities said.
Police arrested Paul Anthony Menchaca, 31, at his parents’ home in Gilbert on Sept. 6 after his female caregivers discovered he didn’t have special needs, news station KTNV reported.
The first caregiver responded in May to an ad on CareLinx, a site designed to help families find licensed help.
Menchaca contacted and hired the helper while allegedly posing as a woman named “Amy,” who claimed to be the mother of a man with Down syndrome, according to AZFamily.
“’Amy’ asked all three victims to ‘punish’ [Menchaca] when he soiled his diaper by putting him in timeout and taking away his privileges,” an arrest affidavit obtained by AZFamily said.
The caregiver told police that she helped bathe and change the man’s diapers on 30 separate occasions. In five separate incidents, Menchaca reportedly told her that his genitals were not cleaned well enough.
She then referred the second caregiver in July and the third the following month.
All three women agreed to the same terms, and claimed that Menchaca would become sexually aroused when he was being washed.
The first victim told police she became suspicious and followed Mechaca back to his parents’ home.
“[The victim] was greeted by [Menchaca’s] actual mother and father and discovered [Menchaca] did not have Down syndrome and did not require diaper changes,” the police report said.
When the three caregivers confronted Menchaca, he reportedly admitted to lying about having Down syndrome.
Menchaca now faces charges for fraudulent schemes and sexual abuse.