Joyce Grayson GoFundMe raises over $18,000 as CT nurse killed while visiting patient in Willimantic

A GoFundMe for Joyce Grayson, a 63-year-old visiting nurse who was found dead in the halfway house for s*x offenders where she had her first appointment of the day on Saturday, October 28, 2023, has raised over $18,000.

Grayson, who was described as a foster mother and grandmother who dedicated her life to caring for others, was reportedly killed while visiting a patient at the halfway house in Willimantic. The patient, who is a violent registered s*x offender, is considered a person of interest in her murder.

The GoFundMe campaign created by a family friend to render financial assistance to the late nurse’s family revealed that the mother of six children had fostered kids for over 20 years. The friend said:

“Joyce was a wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, friend, mentor, caretaker, among multiple other roles in her life.” They added “Joyce and her husband also wanted to contribute more and would foster children for more than 20 years. She treated all foster children as her own, even if they were in her home for a short time.”

What we know about CT nurse Joyce Grayson in the wake of her death

According to an obituary for Joyce Grayson, she served as a visiting nurse for New England Home Care, now known as Elara Caring, for over ten years until she was killed last week. Grayson, who grew up as one of thirteen children on a dairy farm in Sterling, CT, graduated from Killingly High School and went on to attend nursing school at Windham Tech, graduating as a Licensed Practical Nurse.

Joyce Grayson reportedly worked with the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) for 26 years before she retired and then continued to serve as a visiting nurse for Elara Caring.

NBC Connecticut reported the late nurse’s family retained a lawyer to explore the circumstances that led up to her death as an employee of the caring home. In a statement, the family’s attorney, Kelly Reardon said:

“They feel strongly that there likely were a lot of balls dropped, leading up to the death of their mother and wife. We’ve been retained to represent them in order to investigate further, what remedies may be available to them in the civil system, and also to protect their interests in the criminal system as this matter is ongoing.”

Meanwhile, in a statement, Elara Caring extended support to Grayson’s family in the wake of her death. Joyce Grayson reportedly worked for Ealara Caring for 15 years before she was killed. In an email cited by NBC Connecticut, a spokesperson for Elara said:

“Our hearts go out to Joyce’s family and loved ones. The safety and wellbeing of our team members is our highest priority,” a spokesperson for Elara wrote in an email. “We are providing counselling services for Elara team members impacted by this tragedy and will be fully cooperating with the authorities as their investigation continues.”

As Connecticut State Police continue to investigate the death, they have yet to disclose the name of the suspect.