catlover79
05-25-2010, 01:46 PM
http://www.fox8.com/news/nationworld/wgntv-couple-buried-in-filth-may25,0,624722.story
CHICAGO - An elderly couple who were described as hoarders were found buried under mounds of trash in their South Side two-flat Monday night and may have been there up to three weeks, according to police and fire officials.
A concerned neighbor called police when she hadn't seen the couple for almost three weeks. Police came out around 6:20 p.m. and noticed a foul odor coming from the residence. Fire department crews were called and according to police, broke into the premises.
"It (the residence) was packed from floor to ceiling," said Police Lt. Dale Kingsley.
Another official said the filth was in such a state that fire personnel donned hazardous material suits to deal with the debris.
An official at the scene described the woman as having scars resembling rat bites.
Chicago police said they found the couple after conducting a well-being check at their residence located in the 1500 block of East 69th Street in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. The couple were taken in critical condition to Jackson Park Hospital, said Fire Department spokesman Kevin MacGregor.
The couple had not been heard from in three weeks, he said. The woman, 75, may have fallen through the debris first and become trapped. When her husband, 76, tried to come to her aid, he apparently became trapped as well.
Neighbor Hattie Fields said she was shocked at the amount of garbage around the building.
"I have reported this to the city, I have given them photos, there have been raccoons coming around at night. I had to get a cat because of the mice and rats."
She said she had seen the male homeowner walking in the neighborhood but said she hadn't talked to him in the past ten years.
"I have been told he does have other properties, I don't know. Fifteen years ago it was not like this. It's horrible but when people don't communicate you can't force them to talk to you. I want them to clean up this place," Fields said.
Neighborhood resident Cleopatra Ingram said she thought the building was abandoned.
"I came home yesterday, and said, what's going on and was pretty shocked," she said. "I thought it was an abandoned building actually. Someone should have checked on them. You'd walk past and there was no one there at all. No one on the porch, entering...I've been living here a whole year now."
The couple apparently were the only residents in the building. It was not known who asked for the well-being check.
CHICAGO - An elderly couple who were described as hoarders were found buried under mounds of trash in their South Side two-flat Monday night and may have been there up to three weeks, according to police and fire officials.
A concerned neighbor called police when she hadn't seen the couple for almost three weeks. Police came out around 6:20 p.m. and noticed a foul odor coming from the residence. Fire department crews were called and according to police, broke into the premises.
"It (the residence) was packed from floor to ceiling," said Police Lt. Dale Kingsley.
Another official said the filth was in such a state that fire personnel donned hazardous material suits to deal with the debris.
An official at the scene described the woman as having scars resembling rat bites.
Chicago police said they found the couple after conducting a well-being check at their residence located in the 1500 block of East 69th Street in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. The couple were taken in critical condition to Jackson Park Hospital, said Fire Department spokesman Kevin MacGregor.
The couple had not been heard from in three weeks, he said. The woman, 75, may have fallen through the debris first and become trapped. When her husband, 76, tried to come to her aid, he apparently became trapped as well.
Neighbor Hattie Fields said she was shocked at the amount of garbage around the building.
"I have reported this to the city, I have given them photos, there have been raccoons coming around at night. I had to get a cat because of the mice and rats."
She said she had seen the male homeowner walking in the neighborhood but said she hadn't talked to him in the past ten years.
"I have been told he does have other properties, I don't know. Fifteen years ago it was not like this. It's horrible but when people don't communicate you can't force them to talk to you. I want them to clean up this place," Fields said.
Neighborhood resident Cleopatra Ingram said she thought the building was abandoned.
"I came home yesterday, and said, what's going on and was pretty shocked," she said. "I thought it was an abandoned building actually. Someone should have checked on them. You'd walk past and there was no one there at all. No one on the porch, entering...I've been living here a whole year now."
The couple apparently were the only residents in the building. It was not known who asked for the well-being check.