# I suspect my neighbor is dead in her house. What can/should I do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 31, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939 "2013-01-31T19:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/21 "2013-02-01T00:26:28Z")
It might be a good idea, and a neighborly thing, to contact the local welfare office, whatever that amounts to in your neck of the woods. If they are good, as ours are, they will take the ball and run with it – investigating the situation and spreading the word, if appropriate, to other agencies that might help or become involved. It might be as simple as a meals-on-wheels appointment, a hospice visit, a paramedic visit, or a social worker appointed. If they see that little is being taken care of, they might propose further involvement. If you know of a church she goes to, or even a likely one, contact the minister, pastor or priest. It’s unlikely they will ignore your request, and they probably have better contacts than you do. It’s good of you to have a concern. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/22 "2013-02-01T00:31:53Z")
I’m glad she’s okay. I have called the police a few times about customers on my paper route. Elderly, alone, fall risk, etc…if I see a few papers piling up, I call the non-emergency number and the police will do a welfare check. Usually everything is fine; maybe someone moved to a nursing home and hadn’t called the office, that sort of thing. One of my customers was dead. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/23 "2013-02-01T05:32:29Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > Wait, did you actually see Neighbor 1? Because I’m pretty sure Neighbor 2 murdered Neighbor 1 and is now actively trying to stifle your investigation. > > I think I saw this on Law & Order. Going back a bit farther, it’s actually not too far off from the plot of _The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald_. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/24 "2013-02-01T14:33:32Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Okay, I just knocked, and as it happened, she was on the phone to the neighbor on the other side at that moment, who came out of her house and asked what I wanted. I explained I had just been concerned about her, and Neighbor 2 said Neighbor 1 is fine. I used to live in a neighborhood of elder types, so I guess I can understand this… but it still sounds pretty weird. Does ANYONE go in and out of the house? Is the lady a recluse, or bedridden… and if so, who takes care of her? I guess we’ll never know and it’s not our business, but every time I read one of those stories about finding someone who had been dead for years with no one noticing, I wonder how many house-hermits we have among us. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/25 "2013-02-01T14:49:00Z")
I’m probably guilty of assuming, because I’ve never seen anyone – even delivery people – go in or out, that it never happens. As I said, I don’t keep the place under constant surveillance, so it’s entirely possible I have just missed activities that would have disproven my original theory. (For a while, I seriously considered setting up the Web cam on my laptop to record the view from our window to see if anyone was putting out trash or getting the mail.) Mainly it was the fact that the back porch light, which had been constantly on, went out a while ago, that got me thinking along these lines. I have never seen any sign of light from inside the house. I suspect she is a recluse and wouldn’t (or perhaps can’t) come to the door. I have a phone number from the Google search, and I might call her to introduce myself. ---
**Author:** ![SCONUS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@SCONUS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCONUS)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/26 "2015-08-10T19:14:46Z")
Hey there! I am suspecting a similar situation with one of my neighbors, after a quick google search I found your post. Did you complete your investigation on Neighbor 1? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/27 "2015-08-10T19:38:10Z")
How old is the OP? If you can’t be bothered to knock on the door, call the NON-EMERGENCY police line and request a “welfare check”. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/28 "2015-08-10T20:08:20Z")
Well, by now, she’s a zombie, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/29 "2015-08-10T20:21:05Z")
Dead in the house for 2 1/2 years. That’s gonna smell… or is it past that point??? ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/30 "2015-08-10T20:22:47Z")
Probably mummified by now. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/31 "2015-08-10T20:23:44Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > How old is the OP? 2½ years. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/32 "2015-08-10T20:30:40Z")
> [@SCONUS](#): > > Hey there! I am suspecting a similar situation with one of my neighbors, after a quick google search I found your post. Did you complete your investigation on Neighbor 1? Welcome to the Dope…sometimes it helps to just read the thread: > [@commasense](#): > > Okay, I just knocked, and as it happened, she was on the phone to the neighbor on the other side at that moment, who came out of her house and asked what I wanted. I explained I had just been concerned about her, and Neighbor 2 said **Neighbor 1 is fine**. > > **So that ends that, for now**. It’s nice to know that at least she’s in touch with someone and isn’t completely alone. > > I may pursue my theoretical legal questions in another thread. > > Thanks for all your input. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/33 "2015-08-10T20:46:22Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > That was my first reaction, too, but I’m curious to know what they will do. Do you have any experience with a similar situation? If my dad AND my uncle are typical, the police will rob the corpses and the houses if they get in first. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/34 "2015-08-10T21:01:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > If my dad AND my uncle are typical, the police will rob the corpses and the houses if they get in first. Seriously? This happened? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/35 "2015-08-10T21:06:59Z")
Yes, police are known to rob the dead. We had a post re a deceased gun collector. Neighbor saw the police load 7 cars trunk’s with weapons. When they went to collect them, the police showed an inventory of 2 or 3 weapons (that nobody on the force wanted, I guess). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/36 "2015-08-10T22:04:42Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > Seriously? This happened? Absolutely. In my dad’s case, I can’t prove it. But dad was a cash only kinda guy, and he never ever had less than $500 in his wallet, and more often something near a thousand. When the police handed me his wallet, there was 20 bucks in it. In my uncle’s case it probably could have been proved had his estate administrator chosen to pursue it. According to his neighbors, the police loaded up car after car with weapons from his house. One neighbor claimed they filled the trunks of 9 squad cars. He was a collector and probably all the guns were legally owned. My cousin found “hundreds” of gun licenses but only 4 guns. The police gave her a report of the incident of entering his home and discovering his body, and it said absolutely nothing about discovering or confiscating/collecting weapons. It actually made some sense for cops to grab guns in a dead guy’s house to keep them out of the hands of … who knows? But they never acknowledged doing it or accounted for it. My cousin simply decided it wasn’t a productive use of her time to accuse the Chicago police of thievery. On review, my dad’s robbers were the Harvey, IL police. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/37 "2015-08-10T22:07:12Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Yes, police are known to rob the dead. > > We had a post re a deceased gun collector. Neighbor saw the police load 7 cars trunk’s with weapons. > When they went to collect them, the police showed an inventory of 2 or 3 weapons (that nobody on the force wanted, I guess). Yeah, that was me. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939/38 "2015-08-10T22:13:21Z")
Just in case anyone’s interested (and if you are, please try to get a life!), the neighbor finally died sometime last year. We had already moved out to Las Vegas, but heard about it from neighbors still there. I haven’t been back to the neighborhood in more than a year, but last I heard, her house had been cleared of tons of old junk (she was a hoarder) and remained empty, in poor condition, and unsold. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-suspect-my-neighbor-is-dead-in-her-house-what-can-should-i-do/648939.md?page=1)