Post by Joanna on Dec 5, 2013 3:48:31 GMT -5
Bodies in Home of Woman 'Not Seen for Decades'
A woman not seen by neighbors for more than 30 years has been found dead at her home (far right unit shown above) in Oxford, with the body of her daughter, Caroline Jessett, nearby. Police broke into the terraced property after reports of a pungent odor emanating from the residence and initially recovered Jessett’s body. It is believed she had been dead for several months. However, officers were unable to go upstairs because the feared the house would collapse and engineers spent a week shoring up the walls.
When police returned yesterday, they discovered the body of Pauline Jessett, a woman in her 70s, in an upstairs room. Sources suspect she may have been dead for months, or even years.
Postmortem examinations are being carried out and the deaths are so far unexplained.
Neighbors on Cowley Road, Littlemore, south Oxford, described both women as reclusive and some said they had not seen Pauline Jessett for 30 years. They told reporters the curtains at the home were always drawn and the women refused to open the door if someone knocked. One neighbor, who did not want to be named, said she had not seen Pauline since the 1980s when her husband died. Caroline had not been spotted for at least six months and also rarely ventured out, the neighbor added.
Photographs of the property revealed an overgrown garden and furniture piled up inside the house. According to investigating officer Detective Inspector John Turner, “There continues to be nothing at this stage to suggest these deaths are suspicious. Investigations are now being carried out to determine the circumstances.”
Source: Sky News, November 29, 2913.