Suburban Chicago Woman Found Dead At Home Under Piles Of Trash

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Feb 15, 2012 6:40PM

Police and firefighters found the body of a 72-year-old woman buried in her home beneath piles of trash. Margareta Scheibe lived in the house in Worth, Ill., with her 42-year-old son.

A friend of Scheibe contacted authorities because she hadn't heard from her in more than a month.

Authorities dressed in hazmat suits said the stench was unbearable. They sifted through the mess on Tuesday for more than four hours before they found Scheibe's decomposing body.

The Chicago Tribune writes:

Rubbish was piled to the ceiling and spilled out onto the front yard of the bi-level house located on a quiet residential street across from a public park.

A dilapidated shed filled with broken lawn mowers and yard equipment is in the backyard and two trash-filled vehicles could be seen in the driveway.

Neighbors said Scheibe collected newspapers and never put out trash for pick-up. She never let people inside, and dozens of stray cats wandered the area. Authorities said some parts of the home were completely off-limits because of the sheer quantity of trash.