By . Helen Pow . A 66-year-old hoarder has been found crushed to death by the belongings she crammed into her Connecticut home. Beverly Mitchell died of accidental and traumatic asphyxia, authorities announced Tuesday, after a floor piled high with debris collapsed into her basement. Mitchell's body was discovered Saturday as crews were using a backhoe to remove debris from her home in Cheshire. Police say she may have been dead for more than a week. Hoarder: Beverly Mitchell died of accidental and traumatic asphyxia, authorities announced Tuesday, after a floor piled high with debris collapsed into the basement of her Cheshire, Connecticut home, pictured . Officers first went to Mitchell's home on Thursday after a postal carrier reported that her mail was piling up. Officials say they didn't find anyone and thought Mitchell wasn't home. Police say it wasn't until Friday that officials realized the first floor had collapsed. Medical examiners released the cause of death of the 66-year-old on Tuesday. Town Building Official Burt Schiaroli spent Monday assessing whether the 114-year-old home is a safety hazard. It was finally deemed 'unfit for human occupancy' and was boarded up with plywood. 'The safety of the public is paramount,' Schiaroli said Monday, according to the New Haven Register, before inspecting the home. Welfare check: Officers went to Mitchell's home on Thursday after a postal carrier reported that her mail was piling up . The home also has a hole in the roof. Cheshire Fire Chief Jack Casner said no decision had been made on whether to tear down the house. Authorities have said they believe the first floor of the single story home collapsed under the weight of all the clutter, which was stacked as high as the ceiling in some places. 'There is several feet of clutter throughout the entire house, anywhere from 4 to 8 feet high,' Casner said. Casner said there were holes in the roof that may have leaked water onto the floor and made it weaker. 'I was surprised with what I witnessed,' he said. 'It's unfortunate that someone was in those conditions.' Collapsed: Authorities have said they believe the first floor of the single story home collapsed under the weight of all the clutter, which was stacked as high as the ceiling in some places . Neighbors said Mitchell cared for her mother in the home for years until the older woman died about a decade ago. They said they saw Mitchell far less frequently after that. Last winter, police were called to her home after neighbors became concerned that they hadn't seen her following a heavy snowstorm, but eventually she came out. While the town's Social Services department couldn't address Mitchell's case, police said that the woman had declined multiple offers of help over the years. Casner said officials still haven't been able to find Mitchell's relatives and are taking out ads in local newspapers looking for them. The Cheshire Fire Department and the state Department of Emergency Services assisted police to get into the collapsed property by cutting their way into the home through a side wall. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Beverly Mitchell, 66, of Cheshire, Connecticut, died of accidental and traumatic asphyxia, authorities announced Tuesday .
They say a floor piled high with debris collapsed into her basement .
Mitchell's body was discovered Saturday as crews were using a backhoe to remove the clutter .
Neighbors said Mitchell cared for her mother in the home for years until the older woman died about a decade ago and they rarely saw her anymore .
Police said that the woman had declined multiple offers of help over the years from Social Services .
By . Helen Pow . A 66-year-old hoarder has been found crushed to death by the belongings she crammed into her Connecticut home. Beverly Mitchell died of accidental and traumatic asphyxia, authorities announced Tuesday, after a floor piled high with debris collapsed into her basement. Mitchell's body was discovered Saturday as crews were using a backhoe to remove debris from her home in Cheshire. Police say she may have been dead for more than a week. Hoarder: Beverly Mitchell died of accidental and traumatic asphyxia, authorities announced Tuesday, after a floor piled high with debris collapsed into the basement of her Cheshire, Connecticut home, pictured . Officers first went to Mitchell's home on Thursday after a postal carrier reported that her mail was piling up. Officials say they didn't find anyone and thought Mitchell wasn't home. Police say it wasn't until Friday that officials realized the first floor had collapsed. Medical examiners released the cause of death of the 66-year-old on Tuesday. Town Building Official Burt Schiaroli spent Monday assessing whether the 114-year-old home is a safety hazard. It was finally deemed 'unfit for human occupancy' and was boarded up with plywood. 'The safety of the public is paramount,' Schiaroli said Monday, according to the New Haven Register, before inspecting the home. Welfare check: Officers went to Mitchell's home on Thursday after a postal carrier reported that her mail was piling up . The home also has a hole in the roof. Cheshire Fire Chief Jack Casner said no decision had been made on whether to tear down the house. Authorities have said they believe the first floor of the single story home collapsed under the weight of all the clutter, which was stacked as high as the ceiling in some places. 'There is several feet of clutter throughout the entire house, anywhere from 4 to 8 feet high,' Casner said. Casner said there were holes in the roof that may have leaked water onto the floor and made it weaker. 'I was surprised with what I witnessed,' he said. 'It's unfortunate that someone was in those conditions.' Collapsed: Authorities have said they believe the first floor of the single story home collapsed under the weight of all the clutter, which was stacked as high as the ceiling in some places . Neighbors said Mitchell cared for her mother in the home for years until the older woman died about a decade ago. They said they saw Mitchell far less frequently after that. Last winter, police were called to her home after neighbors became concerned that they hadn't seen her following a heavy snowstorm, but eventually she came out. While the town's Social Services department couldn't address Mitchell's case, police said that the woman had declined multiple offers of help over the years. Casner said officials still haven't been able to find Mitchell's relatives and are taking out ads in local newspapers looking for them. The Cheshire Fire Department and the state Department of Emergency Services assisted police to get into the collapsed property by cutting their way into the home through a side wall. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
asphyxia, authorities announced Tuesday, after a floor piled high with debris collapsed into her basement. Mitchell's body was discovered Saturday as crews were using a backhoe to remove debris Beverly Mitchell died of accidental and traumatic basement of her Cheshire, Connecticut home, said Mitchell cared for her mother in the home for years until the older woman died about a decade ago. They said they saw Mitchell far less that the woman had declined multiple offers of help over the years. Casner said officials still