Hoarder daughter kept mother's 'embalmed' remains for three years, house so cluttered that it took police 7 days to find it
WALES, UK: A 57-year-old woman lived with the body of her mother for three years after "embalming" her body with road gritting salt, an inquest was told. According to reports, Valerie Jones, 57, was found collapsed at her home in Aberaeron, West Wales, when the police forced their way into the cluttered house to do a welfare check.
The house was such a mess that police found the remains of Gaynor Jones, 83, covered in grit only after a week of searching the house. The inquest was told that widow Gaynor had not been seen alive for three years and Valerie had failed to raise an alarm over her mother's passing.
She had, however, bought four bags of salted road grit during Christmas, 2015. The coroner believes that Valerie then used the salted grit to "embalm or cover up her mother's body".
The hearing was also made aware that the mother and daughter were obsessive hoarders and the house was totally cluttered. During the 'welfare check' Valerie was found collapsed at the cottage and was suffering from dehydration inside the property.
The hearing was told that there was so much garbage and clutter in the house and garden that it took the authorities a week to find Gaynor's remains.
Gaynor had moved into the country cottage along with her daughter in 2012 following the death of her husband. However, it was described as "uninhabitable" as it had no electricity or running water. Gaynor was last seen alive in 2015 when she had gone for a doctor's appointment. Valerie had told the neighbors that her mother was staying with relatives or in a care home and would never allow anyone inside the property.
It was not until 7 days later that the authorities found human bones buried underneath a pile of rubbish.
As reported by Mirror, detective Constable Carys Sisto shared that when Valerie woke up in the hospital, she was unable to remember her mother's death. "The mother's body was found under a layer of rubbish and tarpaulins. She was covered with grit and another tarpaulin, surrounded by bags of rubbish which contained human excrement and urine, " Dc Sisto shared.
After Gaynor's body was found, Valerie suggested to a family member her mother would be able to fix an item of clothing - and had to be reminded again that she had died.
She later said her mother had died when a bookcase fell on her - but no bookcase could be found in the 19th century home.
Valerie is now being cared for in a mental health facility and it was not in the public interest to charge her with any crime, the inquest heard.
The inquest also heard that the cause of death could be ascertained and Gaynor could only be identified by her DNA.
Though there was no suggestion that she was involved in the death, Coroner Peter Brunton said she could have been charged with preventing lawful burial of a body.