Cops, Courts & Fire -Bensalem Township
Cops: Bensalem Man Orders Up to $70 Per Day in Food While Keeping His 70-Year-Old Dead Mother’s Body
A 37-year-old Bensalem man is being charged by mail summons with a disturbing crime by Bensalem Township Police in which he is accused of keeping his mother’s dead body for about 10 days last fall before public works employees attempting to cut grass at the Hunter Court home requested police assistance.
According to the probable cause on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at approximately 3 p.m., Bensalem Township Police received a dispatch via Bucks County Radio (BCR) regarding a well-being check at 5056 Hunter Ct S.
Police met with Bensalem Public Works employees who advised them that they were attempting to cut the overgrown lawn on the property. They stated that they knocked on the door initially, but no one answered. When they went around to the rear of the home, they saw that the rear door that was once open was now shut. Due to prior calls regarding this residence, Public Works requested police to stand by while they cut the grass.
Prior to the grass being cut, police officers approached the front door and knocked several times, with negative results. As they were beginning to walk behind the residence, Derrick Bouffard emerged from the front door.
“I was just about to call you guys, my mom stopped breathing this morning,” he allegedly said to the responding officers.
Police entered the open door and located his 70-year-old mother’s body. Upon observing Bouffard and the state of her body, which coroners later advised she was likely deceased for more than a week, detectives were contacted. The body was located in the middle of the 1st floor family room, on a mattress, just upon entering the townhome, in plain view, police said in court papers.
n court papers detectives noted flying insects all over the place and the strong odor of decomposing flesh. Detectives observed Cynthia Bouffard’s body, and it appeared skeletal-like. There was almost no flesh on her bones, and her eyes were barely visible. Her body was so frail and emaciated that it’s estimated she weighed no more than 50 or 60 pounds. There were flying insects all over her body which emerged as soon as he lifted the blanket covering her when officers first discovered the body.
Investigators noted that fans had been set up in the house to circulate the air and presumably alleviate the odor. Baking soda had also been placed on objects such as the sofa, probably to alleviate the odor. Detectives noted that there was no evidence of recent food preparation and that there was almost nothing in the fridge except sauces, condiments, and an Uber Eats/Door Dash bag. The freezer appeared to have nothing inside but spoiled food. It was loaded with insects that appeared to be fleas or other small flying insects.
Detectives spoke via phone with Cynthia’s brother, Garry S., who advised that Cynthia suffered from severe advanced dementia, to the point that she was completely incapable of taking care of herself. Cynthia could not walk or talk and she could chew solid food. Sampson advised that he had last seen his sister four weeks earlier. At that time, her son Derrick was Cynthia’s primary caretaker.
Investigators spoke to coroner officials who said he believed Cynthia had been dead for close to two weeks, based upon his training and experience.
Investigators spoke with Cynthia’s daughter, Carrie. She said, according to court papers, that her brother, Derrick, was her mother’s primary caregiver and only the two of them resided at the Hunter Ct residence.
On Nov. 3, 2025, after obtaining a search warrant, a search of Derrick’s cell phone was conducted. Police say the following Google Chrome searches were discovered:
“Bensalem probate court”, “when to notify bank of the deceased”, “number to report elder death”, as well as “if your loved one dies at home, you need to immediately contact the local emergency officials to come and take them to a hospital where they can be legally declared dead”.
The cell phone search warrant also revealed that, according to court records, the Bensalem man ordered food deliveries to the home numerous times throughout the summer and up until his mother’s body was discovered spending anywhere from $12 to $70 daily. He would have walked past the family room where his dead mother was lying, multiple times per day, to retrieve his food deliveries off the porch from Uber Eats/Door Dash etc.
**During November 2025, police obtained Derrick’s prison tape from Bucks County Prison. During the tape, Derrick’s sister asks Derrick about their mother “did she sit for a while or do you not want to talk about it?” He allegedly answers “Yeah, like a couple days”.
On Feb. 26, 2026, police received the official autopsy report from the coroner’s office. This estimates that the victim was deceased 7-10 days before police discovery.
Derrick Bouffard has a preliminary hearing set for April 8, 2026 and is represented by the Bucks County Public Defender’s Office. He has been charged with one count of abuse of a corpse.
** Note: Bouffard was arrested in 2017 on several misdemeanor theft charges. That case was adjudicated in November 2025 after a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. According to online court records, he pleaded guilty to theft charges and was placed on probation. His contact with police apparently caused an automatic probation violation and it seems to explain the reason he was in jail.
Cops, Courts & Fire - Yardley Borough
County Cuts Ribbon on New Treatment Facility Focused on Stakeholders with Co-Occurring Disorders Involved in Criminal Justice System
Bucks County last month held a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the newly constructed Diversion, Assessment, Restoration and Treatment (DART) Center in Doylestown Township.
Expected to begin accepting residents this month, the 23,000 square-foot facility will serve adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use issues who are involved with the criminal justice system.
“We have wanted to do something about this problem – to get people diverted from the criminal justice system,” said Commissioner Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW. “But one piece of the puzzle was missing. It was this place.”
Through treatment and skill development, the Center will operate with the goals of diverting people from incarceration, reducing days of incarceration, reducing utilization of State institutions and reducing recidivism.
The DART Center houses three distinct tracks within this Residential Treatment Center for Adults:
- Short-Term Assessment and Stabilization – A safe transitional opportunity assessment and referral (up to eight individuals)
- Restoration of Competency Unit – For individuals involved in the criminal justice system who have been deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial (up to four individuals)
- Community Integration – A space for individuals in need of treatment and daily living skill development to support movement to more independent living in the community (up to 16 individuals)
At full capacity, the DART can simultaneously serve up to 28 people.
Bucks County has hired the GEO Group to manage day-to-day operations at the DART Center, with oversight from Bucks County BH/DP.
“Right now, there’s a person, maybe more than one, who doesn’t even know that the DART Center exists. They are somewhere hard, in a cell somewhere, trying to get through another day [in a world] that has told them they’re too complicated to help,” said Dr. Mathew Abraham, Senior Director of Treatment and Program Development for GEO. “That person is going to find their way here, and when they do, they will walk through a door that says, ‘we see you, you are worth all of this.’”
Located on the grounds of the former Women’s Community Corrections Center, construction on the DART began in late 2023.
Credit: Submitted
The total projected cost to build the facility is about $19.8 million. The County has paid for the construction with a combination of mostly federal and state funds, with about $1.8 million coming from the County’s General Fund.
“Today marks an important milestone for Bucks County, because we are not simply opening a building,” said General Services Director Bernard Griggs. “We are opening a pathway to a more compassionate, affective approach to mental health and criminal justice.
General contracting work on the project was performed by Magnum, Inc., with architecture services by USA Architects, engineering by Carroll Engineering and Windward, electrical work by the Farfield Company, mechanical services by Integrity Mechanical, Inc., plumbing services by Vision Mechanical, fire protection work by Guy M. Cooper Mechanical and construction management by Jingoli.
Commissioner Vice Chair Bob Harvie, speaking to a crowd of County officials and community stakeholders gathered to mark the DART’s opening, reflected on the questions that drove the facility’s planning years before its construction.
“What could we do on this spot that could make a difference?” he said. “What can we do on this spot that has meaning for people who really need help at a time that might be the lowest in their lives, that serves a purpose, and helps law enforcement and the criminal justice system appropriately handle people who shouldn’t be in a prison, but end up there because there is nowhere else to go?”
The DART Center is just the latest effort by the County to improve mental health services for Bucks County residents, especially those whose illness brings them into contact with the criminal justice system.
One ongoing effort is the award-winning Human Services Co-Responders Program, which embeds social workers in police departments to assist officers when encountering people in need of social services. Since launching in 2020 with the Bensalem Police Department, the program has expanded to serve more than two dozen police departments countywide.
In partnership with the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, the County has also established specialized court programs to address the unique needs of qualifying offenders, including Recovery Court, Wellness Court and Veterans Treatment Court. These programs have been nationally recognized and are instructive for similar programs across the country.
PHOTO: Jeff Contino, Director of the Diversion, Assessment, Restoration and Treatment (DART) Center, on Feb. 25, 2026, leads Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan, Sheriff Danny Ceisler, Prothonotary Donna Petrecco and others in a tour of the newly completed facility. Credit: Submitted
Breaking News - Bensalem Township
Bensalem Man Arrested in Nationwide Sextortion Investigation, More Victims Sought by Investigators
Two Bensalem Police officers were recognized for their extraordinary service and life-saving actions at Monday night’s Council meeting.
Officer Mark Wildsmith was honored as the 2025 Bensalem Township Police Department officer of the Year.
Over the past year, Wildsmith demonstrated exceptional dedication to the community. His accomplishments include successfully handling a life-threatening critical incident, saving a man’s life by performing the Heimlich maneuver, assisting a suicidal veteran as part of the Bucks County Veterans Response Team, and arresting a suspect during a traffic stop who was in possession of a Glock handgun equipped with a “switch,” making it fully automatic, said officials.
Wildsmith also helped develop the department’s Jiu-Jitsu defensive tactics training program. He previously served as a Philadelphia Police Officer and is a proud United States Army veteran.
The second officer honored was Kristopher Harley who was recognized for his heroic actions during a call to a local hotel. When alerted that a child had drowned in the pool, Harley, officials said, immediately located the unresponsive child and began CPR. Through his quick and decisive actions, the child regained consciousness and began breathing on his own.
The child has since made a full recovery, officials said.
It was especially meaningful to have the two survivors in attendance at the meeting to personally thank the officers who saved their lives, officials noted.
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