Mummified Body Found Inside San Francisco Inner Richmond Hoarder Home
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A reportedly mummified body was found inside a home in San Francisco's Inner Richmond neighborhood Saturday so full of trash that it forced firefighters to wear oxygen masks.
The body was discovered after a woman living in the home recently told a tax consultant there was a body in her home, prompting the consultant to call police.
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District supervisor Eric Mar said it took workers days of removing trash before the body was found.
"The hoarding is reportedly so bad that it's up to the ceiling," Mar said.
Police believe the body, which was found wrapped in a blanket, was that of a 90-year-old woman who died about five years ago.
Her 65-year-old daughter who lived in the home apparently knew about the body, but no one knows why she didn't say anything until recently.
"I'm saddened that she couldn't let her mother go," said the resident's friend and neighbor, Sharon Scott Kish. "I saw her 3 days ago and I asked her, 'Is your mother still with us?' And she said 'Yes.' Delusional. She was with her. She was, she was still with her."
Neighbors had mixed emotions after hearing of the discovery.
"I kind of feel sad. I'm afraid," said Lucy Tai, who lives across the street. She said she hadn't seen the deceased woman in a long time and that her daughter was quiet. "I wanted to feel like I [was friends] with her, and I'd say hello and she would just turn away [her] face and don't want to make friends."
Mar said a professional cleanup crew was called in to deal with the mess that also created a pest issue.
"Public health was dealing with the rats, and reported spiders, black widows and other things," Mar said. "My hope is that the Department of Public Health and the contractors are protecting the neighborhood from the infestation of different things."
The Medical Examiner's office has taken over the investigation. They need to confirm the identification of the body, how she died, and when she died before anything else. As for the woman's daughter, Mar said she is getting help at a local hospital.
