Dead Body of Previous Resident Found in Maryland Home by New Owner: Report
The new owner of a Maryland home was in for a disturbing discovery when they discovered the body of the previous resident inside months after the home was foreclosed.
The body was found on Saturday inside a home in District Heights, NBC affiliate WRC-TV reported.
Neighbors told the outlet that the former owner was a 39-year-old woman with special needs who was being cared for by her grandmother until she died about a year ago.
“As we grew up into adults, she never grew up,” a male neighbor told WRC-TV. “So she needed help with things and didn’t process things as well as an adult would, even though she was an adult.”
“Especially when her grandmother passed away, that’s what made us come over and just make sure everything was cool — she had food, she had rides to the store, things like that,” the neighbor added.
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After her grandmother died, another caregiver and relatives started helping the woman, but they also reportedly stopped showing up months ago, leading neighbors to believe that the woman was “gone with the family.”
In the meantime, nearby residents told WRC-TV that the home’s utilities were cut off. By the end of September, the woman’s home was set to be foreclosed on due to an “unpaid balance” and a Notice of Sale was issued, according to the home’s listing on Zillow.
“I know they cut utilities,” the neighbor recalled to the outlet. “I know there’s no power in there. I’m not sure if there was water in there, but I’m pretty sure if they cut the electricity, they cut the heat, too.”
Eventually, the new owners moved into the Maryland property and found the unidentified woman’s body — leaving neighbors stunned.
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“We didn’t know, and it’s said that she was in the house,” the male neighbor told WRC-TV. “If we knew that she was still in there, we would have at least knocked on the door. We would have at least asked her is everything OK.”
Police are currently investigating the death, but believe there are no signs of foul play and are in contact with the woman’s family, according to the outlet.
The local coroner is also performing an autopsy on the body to determine when and how she died, WRC-TV reported.
The District Heights Police Department and the Prince George‘s County Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
