According to Connecticut police reports, a hoarder has died after the first floor of her house collapsed into the basement. Beverly Mitchell, 66, was found dead in her Cheshire home on Saturday, Jun. 14.
Mitchell was found two days after a postal carrier called the police to request a welfare check, since Mitchell’s mail had been accumulating for at least a week. Mitchell was found in her basement beneath a pile of debris.
Authorities had to cut their way into Mitchell’s house through a side wall after assuring it was safe. They cut a hole into the wall and removed the debris with a backhoe. The Cheshire police told Record-Journal that they believe the first floor collapsed because of the weight of the clutter.
The pile-ups in Mitchell’s home reached the ceiling, while others were waist-high. This made it difficult for officials to realize that the floor had collapsed. According to police Sgt. Kevin O’Donnell, the officers had gone to Mitchell’s home on Thurs., however they couldn’t find her and assumed that no one was home.
Officials hadn’t even realized the extreme extent of her hoarding until they entered the house on Thurs. An autopsy will be performed by the chief medical examiner’s office to be certain of her cause of death.
O’Donnell said that the police had been to Mitchell’s house many times in response to requests for welfare checks by numerous people, including neighbors. Officers repeatedly offered her help from local social service experts but Mitchell refused each time. O’Donnell stated on Sun., “It’s unfortunate because … we’ve tried all along to get her assistance, but she was a very private and solitary lady.”
Photo: myfoxny
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