Police in Cheshire, Connecticut, were shocked to find a 66-year-old woman dead in her house after the first floor had apparently caved into the basement. According to a report from the Associated Press, the woman, named Beverly Mitchell, was a hoarder whom police had checked on numerous times over the years due to concerns about her well-being. Mitchell’s first floor seems to have collapsed under the weight of all her belongings, ultimately killing and burying her.

In fact, Mitchell kept so many belongings in the house that police did not initially realize the floor had caved in at all, or that Mitchell’s body had been buried out of sight. Late last week, a postal service worker contacted the police and asked them to check up on Mitchell, after watching her mail accumulate over the course of a week or so. Officers went to the house on Thursday, but could not find any evidence Mitchell was even at home. However, they did notice piles of clutter stacked up to the ceilings along the walls, and waste-high piles of assorted items throughout the rest of the first floor.

It was not until Friday that police realized Mitchell’s floor had caved in as a result of her hoarding. In fact, it took another day before they were able to enter the house and find her body. It took some time for the authorities to determine whether or not the house remained safe and stable enough to enter, and even more time for them to cut a hole in the wall and start essentially draining the house of its clutter with the help of a backhoe.

Cheshire police said that they have been familiar with Mitchell for years now, and have gone over to her house on numerous occasions, usually at the request of neighbors and other concerned parties, to offer her help. Mitchell refused their assistance each time.