Horder Dies Beneath Her Own Clutter

Published: June 14, 2014 | Last Modified: June 16, 2014 10:24AM

By Mary Ellen Godin and Jeff Gebeau Record-Journal staff

CHESHIRE — A 66-year-old woman who lived alone in her 22 Winslow Road home was found dead Saturday in the basement under a pile of debris after a day-long search.

Police responded to a call for a welfare check on Beverly Mitchell Friday after a postal carrier found mail had piled up at the home for about a week and a half. The investigation is ongoing and being treated as a hazmat situation.

Police determined that there was a structural collapse of the first floor based on the weight of the content of the house.

“The floor gave way and collapsed into the basement. The contents of that room caved in on top of her,” said Sgt. Kevin O’Donnell.

“We did a well being and we determined it wasn’t safe to continue searching and asked for assistance when we saw the first floor collapsed,” O’Donnell said. “We contacted Connecticut Homeland, who brought special equipment for search and rescue.”

The fire department went with special equipment, the state assisted with cadaver dogs and the Connecticut Urban Search and Rescue Unit, Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protect and state police dogs.

Searchers didn’t find her until Saturday.

They were eventually able to make entry by cutting into the side of the home, O’Donnell said.

Police found stacks of debris piled to the ceiling.

“She was a hoarder,” O’Donnell said. “This was an accidental death caused by disrepair.”

No next of kin were identified. The state medical examiner will release the body to a funeral home.

Police and social service agencies had tried for years to help Mitchell, O’Donnell said.

She had a long history of reclusive behavior, and didn’t want contact with the outside world other than a rare trip to the store or senior services. The house has been boarded up.

“She was a recluse,” he said. “We weren’t sure she was in the building. She has a history of leaving and not telling anyone.”

Crash Kills 2 - Husband and Wife in Separate Cars

A husband and wife were killed in a head on crash Wednesday in an incident where each was the driver of one of the vehicles. It happened about 10 a.m. on County Road 87 near the small community of Odell in northern Wilbarger County. Department of Public Safety Trooper Jymie Ha identified the dead as 31-year-old Nicolas Cruz and 26-year-old Kristina Munoz.

Cruz was the driver of a 1990 Mazda headed south on the county road and Munoz was the driver of a 1999 Saturn headed north when the two vehicles collided.

The wreck occurred near the Marhard Pullet Farm where the couple were employed. The site is about 3.5 miles west of the Odell Community and about 18 miles northwest of Vernon.

Emergency crews used special equipment to extricate the victims from the wreckage. Both Cruz and Munoz were pronounced dead at the scene by Wilbarger County Justice of the Peace Gene Morton. They were both alone in their vehicles.

Trooper Ha said he didn’t believe either was wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred. He said the cause is still under investigation. He said speed may have been a factor and witnesses reported seeing no skid marks on the pavement.

Via: http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2014/jun/04/odell_fatalities/

Livery Cab Driver Killed By His Own Car

A livery cab driver was killed in Midtown this morning after accidentally hitting the wrong pedal on his Ford Expedition.

According to police, the tragic accident went down around 11:18 a.m. on Madison Avenue near East 49th Street, when the 58-year-old driver double parked his car to open the door for a pair of passengers. As he did, he noticed the car was drifting in reverse, and opened the driver's side door in order to lean in and hit the break. Instead, he hit the gas, sending the vehicle forward and crushing him between his own car and a parked Ford Econoline. The driver was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Expedition continued its journey down the street, until a quick-thinking onlooker intervened.

“After a few whistles I took it upon myself to jump into the vehicle to secure it,” witness Mike Conlon told DNAinfo. "It seemed like the thing to do."