Greensboro care home operator fined in missing resident case

Hazel Mae Forman pleaded guilty in Guilford County District Court to operating an adult home care facility without a license, closing a criminal case that grew out of the disappearance of 74-year-old Larry Darnell Burton from her Greensboro home care site on Moody Street. A judge ordered Forman to pay a $50 fine and $183 in court costs, with no jail time and no probation. Payment is due by Sept. 14, 2026.

Burton was reported missing on July 3, 2025, after he was last seen at Forman’s facility at 10:30 p.m. on July 2. He had dementia and had been at the home for just eight days, according to his family. Nearly a year later, Burton still has not been found.

State records showed the Moody Street operation was not licensed by the NCDHHS Division of Health Service Regulation, even though the home had previously been licensed as a family care home before closing in January 2022. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services investigated the facility, and Greensboro police later issued an arrest warrant for Forman. She posted a $10,000 bond after her arrest and was not held in custody before Monday’s court date.

The case has highlighted how an unlicensed adult care home could remain in operation long enough to house a medically vulnerable resident. North Carolina’s Adult Care Licensure Section is responsible for licensing adult care homes and family care homes, inspecting them, investigating complaints, and taking action when facilities fall out of compliance. DHHS also makes inspection reports, star ratings and penalties available for the previous 36 months, information families can use before placing a relative in care.

Burton’s daughter, Latonya Swift, said, “I miss my daddy,” as the family continued pressing for answers and closure. Family members have said Moses Cone Hospital referred Burton to the facility because it was believed to be licensed, a detail that has deepened questions about how the placement happened in the first place.

Greensboro police searched multiple locations with help from the Greensboro Fire Department Search and Rescue Team, and a $5,000 reward had been offered for information leading to Burton’s whereabouts. His silver alert expired in October 2025, and his information is now in a national database. The guilty plea brought punishment for the licensing violation, but it left the central question unanswered: what happened to Larry Darnell Burton after he walked into a home that was never supposed to be operating without state approval.