A hoarder cannot let go of her mother, even after death.
The corpse of 90-year-old woman was found wrapped in blankets and buried beneath mounds of trash on Saturday in San Francisco. The 65-year-old daughter of the woman knew the body was there for years.
The woman, known only as Carolyn, took her dog out for daily walks. She lived at home with her elderly mother, though neighbors say they have not seen the mother in years.
Carolyn apparently asked a tax consultant what to do with the body lying in her house. The consultant immediately called the police.
The fire department sent officers wearing oxygen masks into the building on Saturday. However, the filth was so great that they had to abandon their search and hire a professional clean up crew to finish the job. As they worked, they were met with a large black widow spider infestation and over 300 bottles of urine. After several days of removing garbage, the body of Anna Ragin was found.
“I’m hearing that there were rats, spiders, dog feces and trash just everywhere, in some cases piled to the ceiling,” said local Supervisor Eric Mar. “The police captains I’ve spoken with tell me this is the worst case of hoarding they have ever seen.”
Neighbors and passersby stopped to watch the excavation. The local CBS news station interviewed some of them.
“There were always these tattered curtains covering the windows and there were never any lights on,” said one neighbor named Bruce. “I always thought it was either abandoned or haunted or both. It’s horrifying to think someone actually lived in there.”
“I’m saddened that she couldn’t let her mother go,” said another neighbor named Sharon Scott Kish. “I saw her three days ago and I asked her, ‘Is your mother still with us?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ Delusional. She was with her.”
The local Medical Examiner has taken over responsibility for the case. While no foul play is suspected, death will be considered suspicious until a number of questions are cleared up. The identity of the body needs to be confirmed as well as the time of death. Then the cause of death must be determined. The Department of Public Health and the Department of Aging and Adult Services will be assisting in the investigation.
The daughter Carolyn has been taken to a local hospital.
