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In a time when fewer people talk face to face,
one Germantown neighborhood learned just how important it is to
communicate in person.
In
March 2008, an 81-year-old woman was discovered in her condominium
on
Rivers-bend Circle
, approximately half a year after she died.
“She
kept a very brief daily log, and the last entry date was six months
prior to her being discovered, and based on the condition of the
body it was apparent she had been dead for six months,” Germantown
Police Chief Peter Hoell said. “It’s unusual and it’s a sad
case.”
The
discovery was made because the woman had not been paying her bills.
“It
was shocking,” said Roy Gregg, a neighbor and former condo
association board member. “They had stopped mail delivery to her
house because it was building up and then a process server came to
serve her with (foreclosure) papers and, when no one came to the
door, our manager and another employee opened the door and she was
there.
“It
was a shock to the whole neighborhood,” he said.
Officers
met with post office employees and advised them to call the police
department if they notice a similar situation in the future, Hoell
said. Post office employees typically already do, he said, and it
appeared to be an oversight in this case.
Medical
Examiner Kelly McAndrews performed an autopsy on the woman, which
determined there were no obvious signs of trauma and were
indications of cancer, as had been reported to police by a family
member, according to a police report.
McAndrews
included the death in her annual report, which she presented to the
County
Board
this week.
For
full story, go to the electronic version of The Daily News. Click
here to access the electronic version.
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