Bedridden patients who could not walk were living in a Panorama Village home with no fire sprinklers and no fire alarm system, the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office found after searching the property on Ivy Court. Panorama Village sits about 10 miles north of The Woodlands in Montgomery County.
Jennifer Yvonne Rios, 60, who also goes by Jennifer O'Neal, was arrested and charged with operating an assisted living facility without a state license, ABC13 first reported July 24. She is out on bond. Rios did not respond to a request for comment from ABC13, which reported the details of the case.
The investigation began after relatives raised concerns about residents' welfare, according to court records obtained by ABC13. Panorama Village police executed multiple search warrants, and the Fire Marshal's Office conducted an inspection. Authorities found multiple patients inside, including at least two confined to hospital beds.
The facility lacked a state license and had no automatic fire sprinklers or fire alarm system.
Adult Protective Services relocated all residents and opened its own investigation.
Court records show this was not the first warning. Panorama Village police had already advised Rios she was operating without a license before the arrest. In 2021, authorities found four patients at another home outside Conroe that also allegedly lacked state permits and fire code compliance.
Investigators believe Rios operated facilities under the name "Seventh (7) Heaven" in Panorama Village, Conroe, and Cut and Shoot.
A family's choice
Paul Bennett, a retired teacher, told ABC13 on Wednesday, July 29 that he placed his younger sister Marcella at the Ivy Court home for nearly a year after she suffered a massive stroke in 2024 that left her partially paralyzed. Licensed facilities quoted him nearly $5,000 a month. Rios charged about $2,000.
"When this nursing friend said, 'I know somebody who can do it for $2,000 a month,' we jumped on it," Bennett told ABC13.
Bennett visited his sister regularly and said he never saw anything that concerned him. The family removed Marcella before the investigation because they ran out of money. Bennett said Rios should be held accountable if she broke state law, but added that the case exposes how few affordable options exist for families navigating long-term care.
What residents should know
The Panorama Village Police Department is asking former residents, employees, caregivers, family members, vendors, and anyone with knowledge of the facilities to contact the department. The criminal investigation remains ongoing.
An eviction notice now hangs on the front door of the Ivy Court home.
