A 24-year old York County woman is in a coma and doctors and her family can’t figure out why. Lynn Ruiz-Tovar has been in a coma for four weeks and her family suspects something bad happened.
The mystery starts at Harrisburg Hospital where Lynn got dropped off and slipped into a coma. Her family has no idea what happened before that and they’re hoping someone comes forward with more information.
“It’s like I’m dreaming. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, when I do sleep all I see is her in that hospital bed,” said Tovar’s mother Deborah Young.Young doesn’t understand how a healthy 24-year old could just slip into a coma.
“When you don’t know what is wrong, how this happened, it makes it 100 times worse. Because you have so many other questions on top of everything. You just want to find out,” said Tovar’s sister Ashley Keezel-Gruver.What they do know is that on July 12th a woman dropped Tovar off at Harrisburg Hospital. She has been in a coma ever since.”They didn’t really know how she got there, why she was in the coma, they really didn’t have any answers,” said Gruver.The woman who dropped her off says she found Tovar sick and wandering around 18th and Derry Streets in Harrisburg and offered her a ride. She says Tovar could barely talk and was drooling.
Tovar’s family is skeptical of the woman’s story because she provided them with a fake name and address.
Doctor’s didn’t find any marks on Tovar’s body. Her family thinks she was suffocated.
“Doctors said it’s a brain trauma, because of a loss of oxygen. They said there was some cocaine in her system but not enough to put her into a coma,” said Gruver.
The clothes Tovar had on also raised red flags for the family. “She doesn’t leave the house with hair out of place. They found her, her pants were messed up and she had a guys t-shirt on and nothing under it. Like they just put something on her to get her to the hospital. She would never leave the house without undergarments,” said Young.Tovar works at a gentleman’s club in Harrisburg. Her family says because of the late hours she works, she usually sleeps at a male friends house who lives nearby.
Tovar told her mom the friend had been violent towards her in the past.
“She sent me pictures and told me about it. I don’t know why she went back to him. And that’s where we found her car, his house,” said Young.At first doctors couldn’t see any brain activity but recently Tovar has been showing signs of improvement.
“We went into the rehab facility and on the board it said she can respond by blinking. I said it’s your sister Ashley do you love me? And I got the blink of a yes, and I just cried,” said Gruver.Despite her progress her family worries she may never get back full brain function. They hope answers will help, if not for them, for her 6-year old daughter.
“Just tell us what happened to her so we know what kind of treatment to seek for her,” Gruver plead.
Harrisburg Police confirmed they are investigating the case, but they will not release any information until they speak with the family.
If you have any information contact Harrisburg Police at 717-255-3131.
Tovar did not have medical insurance so her family is struggling to pay for her mounting medical costs. Her hospital bills are already over $10,000 and the rehab facility she is staying in costs $10,000 a month.
Tovar’s family has set up a web page where people can donate to help pay her bills and medical costs. If you would like to donate click here.
To see the Facebook page her family has for Lynn click here.
They are also holding two fundraisers coming up:
Tattoo party at Full Throttle Tattoo in West York, West Market Street, starts at 1 pm Saturday.
Car Wash at Advance Auto Parts, West Market Street, starts at 9 am August 11th.