San Francisco Bay Area police say they found a body inside the residence of a Petaluma home, along with a woman living with the corpse and claiming it to be her mother.
According to a statement by the Petaluma Police Department, the woman’s neighbors contacted police after noticing around 20 to 30 boxes stacked up around her home’s porch. Officers arrived at a home on Windsor Drive to perform a welfare check on August 23 at around 10:50 a.m.
“Given their observations coupled with the information obtained by the reporting party, officers were concerned for the welfare of the resident and made the decision to make entry into the home,” police said.
Once inside the residence, the officers saw the deceased body in the living room, CBS News reports. Police said that the body appeared to have been in advanced decomposition. The woman, who was found in a bedroom when police arrived, admitted that her mother died of natural causes in 2021 and the body had been in her home for over a year.
Police officers conducting a welfare check at a home in the 200 block of Windsor Drive found the woman at about 10:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Petaluma Police Department. https://t.co/lVtwkEEpgW
— The Press Democrat (@NorthBayNews) August 24, 2022
The officers decided to take the woman to an area hospital for a medical evaluation, given the situation and the “unhabitable” living conditions inside the residence.
“Based on her condition, the adult female who had been contacted inside the residence was transported to an area hospital for medical evaluation and treatment,” Petaluma PD said.
Police called the incident “suspicious” but so far no criminal charges have been filed.
The mother’s cause of death is scheduled to be determined by the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office. A spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office indicated it could take days for the identity of the deceased to be released, given the advanced state of decomposition.
The Press Democrat reports that the daughter has been cooperative with authorities. Check back for updates.
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