The 58-year-old man found dead along railroad tracks in Biddeford early Monday had been living for five years with a family on Winter Street that helped care for him.

Gary Googoo, who suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was one of more than 550 people with developmental disabilities or mental illness in Maine who receive financial support through MaineCare to live in the community, often with families who are not related to them.

The program is known as a Medicaid waiver, and together with state and federal funds, provides about $30,000 annually for each recipient’s care.

Googoo had lived with the family on Winter Street for five years, said Saco Police Sgt. Chris Hardiman. He had no prior history with police.

The situation was arranged by Living Innovations, a company that helps connect people with long-term disabilities with families who can provide care for them, said Andy Taranko, the company’s Maine director. Living Innovations takes a portion of the annual stipend in exchange for matching individuals with families, providing support and training caretakers.

Googoo apparently left the home some time between 2 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., when the family noticed he was gone.

No one answered the door at the house on Winter Street Tuesday morning.

In that time period, the temperature outside steadily dropped from about 11 below zero to 17 below, according to the National Weather Service.

Although Googoo was wearing a sweater, a winter coat and a knit cap, he is believed to have died of exposure, Hardiman said.

 

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