Rachael Ray and her family are reportedly at odds over the sudden death of her aunt. On Nov. 29, Geraldine Scuderi, 77, was house-sitting for Ray's mother Else Scuderi when she accidentally locked herself out of the upstate New York home.
Reportedly, around 4 p.m. Scuderi went outside to feed the birds and couldn't get back into the house. She tried to break a window but collapsed in the freezing cold temperatures and died. Her body was not found until the next day, the National Enquirer (via the Daily Mail) reports.
Ray's cousin Gina Mesnick is reportedly blaming the family for the death telling the National Enquirer that her mother was not left a key to the house.
"My mother is dead today because the Ray family neglected her," Mesnick said. "At some point in the evening, I suspect that, because of her [chronic lung problems], she had trouble breathing and collapsed in the driveway and basically died there. Her body wasn't found until the following morning."
Mesnick was also upset that her mother was only paid $300 for the five days she would be house-sitting because Scuderi had to split it with a second house-sitter. According to the magazine, neighbors were home at the time of the incident but Scuderi couldn't make it next door to get help.
Ray has not spoken publicly about the death but her rep told the Daily Mail that the Food Network star was deeply saddened that she and her husband John Cusimano couldn't make it to the Dec. 5 funeral. The Warren County sheriff's department confirmed the Daily Mail that Scuderi died of natural causes and there was no suspicion of foul play.
"Unfortunately, the day of Rachael's aunt's funeral coincided with the final day of taping for the 2013 season of her daytime talk show," her rep said. "Her tape schedule could not be rescheduled partly because Rachael was committed to a live television broadcast on Dec. 6 followed by a cross country book tour. Rachael has payed her respects privately and will spend more time with her family when she returns home."
