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A woman in New Orleans is under investigation for housing mummified remains.
Authorities discovered the remains of her 600-pound son after nine months.
The home was found in extreme disarray, filled with garbage and animals.
A New Orleans woman is under investigation after authorities discovered she had been living with the mummified remains of her 600-pound son for nine months. The woman, identified as Barbara Hainsworth, a “mentally disabled elderly woman”, according to Nola.com, was living in a Lakeview home filled with garbage, chickens, roosters, and rats.
Code enforcement investigators found the son’s remains on Thursday, May 15th. Public records indicate neighbours had made multiple complaints regarding the condition of the home. Hainsworth, a former doctor whose medical licence was revoked a decade ago, reportedly told police that the body was her son, who had died nine months prior.
According to the WDSU report, the officer asked the woman about the dead body in her home and why she didn’t report the death.
“That’s my son. He died about nine months ago,” the woman said, according to the report. The woman said her son suffered from multiple medical conditions.
The City of New Orleans issued the following statement regarding the condition of the home:
“The Department of Code Enforcement (DCE) became aware of the condition of the property at 6355 Argonne Blvd. in Lakeview on May 7, by a member of the New Orleans Health Department.
“A Code Enforcement investigator was immediately dispatched to the property. DCE’s investigation revealed horrific conditions, including the remains of a mummified male body and evidence of extreme hoarding conditions, along with mounds of trash in and around the property.
“DCE informed its demolition contractor to be on standby to perform an assessment to cleanup and remove the trash and seal the hole in the bathroom floor. The property was also scheduled to be boarded by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD).
“DCE began exploring services to sanitize the property, while other City agencies worked on plans for mosquito abatement and rodent control. A DCE contractor is currently on standby to perform emergency abatement procedures after the premises is cleared of biohazards.
“Prior to being notified by the Health Department on May 7, DCE held an Administrative Hearing regarding the property on May 6 and found the owner guilty on three of four violations. The owner was fined $6,125 and the property was declared a public nuisance.”
