The mummified body of a woman who has been dead for years was found inside a San Francisco home filled with trash.
Police believe the body is that of 90-year-old Anna Ragin, who owned the house.
Neighbors said they haven’t seen her for at least seven or eight years. They have seen her daughter, Carolyn, 65, who also lived there. She was often seen walking her dog.
A tax consultant called police after Carolyn reportedly tried to get tax advice and revealed the secret about her mother’s body. When police responded, they found the house filled with trash.
“The hoarding is reportedly so bad that it’s up to the ceiling,” District supervisor Eric Mar told KPIX.
It took crews several days to remove enough trash to find Anna’s body, which was wrapped in a blanket.
Neighbor Sharon Kish said she’s known Carolyn for nearly 20 years and believes she just couldn’t let her mother go.
“I saw her three days ago, and I said, ‘Is your mother still with us?’ and she said, ‘Yes,'” Kish said to KPIX. “Delusional? She was still with her. She was. She was still with her.”
Workers also found toxic mold, 300 bottles of urine and infestation inside the home. The smell was so bad, several firefighters had to use oxygen masks.
#Mummified body removed from #SF home, reports @CarolyneZinko http://t.co/oYFXEhI0T8 via @sfchronicle pic.twitter.com/bWXE5heGSH
— ИƎЯO⅃⅃ ИOƧAႱ (@jasonLLoren) April 5, 2015
No foul play suspected with S.F. 'mummified’ body http://t.co/833KHrMKRL @sfkale pic.twitter.com/rsEKJEssQG
— SFGate (@SFGate) April 6, 2015
Supe speaks on woman found dead in S.F. home, says hoarding was among worst ever seen: http://t.co/833KHrMKRL pic.twitter.com/QuXp1nVWkk
— SFGate (@SFGate) April 5, 2015
A version of this story was written and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting.