Hoarder found dead in house had at least 31 cats

Garage of hoarder found dead in Mesa, Ariz. home who, authorities say, had at least 31 cats / KPHO-TV/CBS

(CBS/AP) MESA, Ariz. — A woman has been found dead in her suburban Phoenix home, where she lived with at least 31 cats.

Maricopa County sheriff's deputies were forced to wear breathing equipment to enter the residence in Mesa, Ariz., early Tuesday.

They had been called to check on 65-year-old Maria Elena Cimino.

Triple digit temps, oppressive humidity and the protective gear forced the deputies to switch out crews every 15 minutes and have paramedics standing by, reports CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO-TV.

It's unclear how long Cimino had been dead, but authorities say she apparently died of natural causes.

Sheriff's officials say it appears the woman was a hoarder, and the home was in poor condition.

Neighbor Susan Cordovanas told KPHO, "She was a hoarder. So I think this made it harder for those sheriffs," adding conditions inside the house were "very bad," with "feces in the bathtub. Feces all over the house."

But Cordovanas said Cimino "was a really nice lady. I'd like people to know about that."

Neighbor Liva Butler told the station, "She was a nice soul and, you know, who wants to be the bad cop and go turn her in?"

There were at least 11 kittens among the 31 felines, according to KPHO, and two adult cats were found dead.

The sheriff's office and the Humane Society were trying to rescue as many of the 31 feral cats and kittens as possible and decide where to keep them.

Authorities say many are severely underweight and appear to have upper respiratory infections and conjunctivitis.

[ksmit2]

This is really sad. If her friend didn't want to "turn her in", at
least she could have helped feed her cats, clean some poop, or any
small thing to help this lady before the point of no return. If she
couldn't get help for her neighbor, she could have at least called
the Animal Shelter. They could have helped her with the pets and
likely helped her get in contact other folks to help with her other
issues. A lot of time people are reluctant to involve themselves
out of fear that some agency may start asking questions about their
own situation or status.

[Valhalla0907]

A&E's Hoarders is a good show, especially if there is someone like this in your life. The hoarders are all very different, many of them are likeable but overwhelmed. There are also some that can't be helped.

[nomorelibs]

The neighbor says she didn't want to be the one to turn her in. If she was my neighbor, I'd turn her in in a heartbeat. How can you live next to this knowing how she was living?

[onefeather2]

I agree, she should have been turned in if not for her sake at least for the animals who had no choice.People like this are not just hurting themselves.But now days lets have an excuse for everything instead of grow up take charge and remember there are people worse off, she could have at least called animal control or a No kill shelter. It is best for the cat's that she did die i think, abuse is abuse no matter what name you want to put on it.

[foo8259]

Too late to be on Dr. Phil. I have a friend who is somewhat of a hoarder -- won't throw out anything unless it's actively rotting and won't allow me to touch or move anything even to get through to the bathroom. It's no wonder important papers and stuff like computer software get misplaced/lost. He even has to pick up stuff found along the roadways and take it back to his junk pile like it's treasure.

[GoUnion86]

She may have tried to call for help but couldn't find the phone.

[skithebumps]

What is it with women and hoarding and cats? This happens too often.
Weird.

[matt6052]

they have a pill for that now

[mari1963]

This is so sad. Where was her family and the people who loved her? She needed help and assistance.

[credibility2]

...and, what about her neighbors or place of worship, assuming she had one...

[MegaProcrastination]

The sad thing with hoarders is that most of the time you can't help them because they panic so badly when you try to get rid of something or clean anything up. Hoarding is a symptom of a serious mental illness and even medication for said illnesses often can't control it.

[phwtb100]

How tragic. What drives a person to collect so much that they cannot function in their own worlds? I know feral cats are attracted to any place that offers them some sort of shelter and a place where they can capture food- surely she must have been over run with mice. But, why the STUFF? I know of a man who lives close to me that is the same. I just don't understand...

[NB62]

Very sad and another tragic example of the devastation caused by mental illness