She lived in the same house in Throggs Neck all of her life. That is, until she was forced to leave after befriending a man and transferring the property to him.
Geraldine Panattieri, of 1055 Edison Avenue, who suffers from a mental disability, was found by her neighbors and friends homeless and wandering the street. Panattieri, in her 50s, also is afflicted with auditory hallucinations.
Panattieri’s neighbors believe that when her long-time partner passed away she stopped taking her medicine. Another neighbor, Joseph Lillard, several years younger, was soon seen spending time at the house – even using her lawn to park his motorcycle. They said that Lillard is now living there with his son, a student at P.S. 14, and an unidentified adult female.
“She had a long time partner who was a Vietnam veteran and who took care of her, but he passed away several months ago,” a neighbor, who did not wish to be indentified, said. “A couple of months ago, my wife saw her living on the street and got to work notifying the proper authorities.”
Panattieri has been taken off the street, and is currently undergoing a 10-day psychiatric evaluation, sources said. Adult Protective Services has taken over her case, and according to a source, she was taken to Soundview-Throggs Neck Community Mental Health Center – run by montefiore medical center.
In her mental condition, Panattieri was convinced that she was married to Lillard. She signed a deed transferring the house she had lived in all her life – which was left to her by her parents – to him.
With her parents long deceased, Lillard moved into the house. Panattieri left soon afterwards. Her furniture and possessions all discarded, neighbors said.
Neighbors say Lillard would often get into confrontations with merchants on E. Tremont Avenue.
She is not a well person, and he [Lillard] just took advantage of the situation,” another anonymous neighbor said.
Former assemblyman and attorney Steve Kaufman is working on returning the house to Panattieri, once she is on her medication.
Lillard refused to respond to the paper’s requests for an explanation of how he obtained the house.
