Missing Connecticut Woman Found Under Hoarded Trash in Home

# Tragic Discovery: Retired Connecticut Detective Found Dead in Her Own Home After 7-Month Search

After seven months of searching, the body of Mary Notarangelo, a 73-year-old retired Bridgeport police detective, turned up in her own home. She’d been buried beneath piles of hoarded belongings, a heartbreaking end that no one wanted to imagine.

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The case spotlights just how dangerous hoarding disorder can become, especially for elderly folks living alone. It’s hard not to wonder if more regular welfare checks might have made a difference in Connecticut communities like hers.

The Disappearance and Delayed Discovery

Mary Notarangelo served with the Bridgeport Police Department from 1985 to 1996. The last anyone heard from her was around June 12, 2024, when she texted a friend about stomach pain, vomiting, and a fall at her rural Connecticut house.

Weeks passed in silence. After three weeks without a word, her friend finally called local authorities and asked them to check in on Mary.

The search that followed dragged on for months, stretching from summer into winter. Police who showed up for that first welfare check ran into a problem they hadn’t really expected.

Extreme Hoarding Conditions Hampered Search Efforts

Inside Mary’s home, officers found trash and clutter piled from floor to ceiling. The hoarding was so severe, with cobwebs and even dead animals, that it blocked any real search effort.

Between July and November 2024, police tried several times to look for her. They even brought in law enforcement from Stamford and New Haven with special gear, including drones, but it didn’t help much. The sheer amount of clutter made it impossible to find her.

The Tragic Discovery

On February 24, 2025, an environmental cleanup crew came to clear out the house. While sifting through the debris, workers stumbled across Mary’s skeletal remains near the front door.

It looked like she might have collapsed just inside her own entrance. Medical examiners from Hartford couldn’t figure out her exact cause of death because of the condition of her remains.

Officials from Danbury and Waterbury joined the investigation. In the end, they found no signs of foul play.

A Life of Service and Personal Struggles

Mary spent more than a decade serving her community before retiring on disability after an on-duty accident. Friends and former colleagues from Norwalk and Greenwich remembered her as a dedicated detective and animal lover.

She kept about 20 birds, plus a cat and a dog.

People called her quirky, private, and kind-hearted.

She struggled with hoarding, even though friends tried to help.

Several of her pets were found dead inside the home, which just adds to the heartbreak here.

The Hidden Dangers of Hoarding Disorder

Hoarding disorder isn’t just about clutter—it’s dangerous, especially for older people living by themselves. Mental health experts from New London say hoarding affects 2-6% of the population and can lead to life-threatening situations.

Friends said they’d tried to talk to Mary about her hoarding, but those conversations never went anywhere. That’s a common problem with hoarding disorder; folks rarely accept help until things are already out of control.

Improving Welfare Checks for Vulnerable Residents

The case has stirred up new conversations among Connecticut law enforcement about how they handle welfare checks. Officers are especially concerned when hoarding or clutter blocks access to a home.

“When someone can’t be found in their own home because of clutter, we need to rethink what we’re doing,” said one official tied to the case. “This tragedy might have been avoided with more persistence and specialized resources for extreme hoarding.”

People across Connecticut, from Bridgeport to Stamford, are reflecting on what happened. There’s a growing push for more awareness around hoarding disorder and stronger support for elderly residents who are living alone and facing mental health struggles.

Here is the source article for this story: Woman missing for months found buried under piles of hoarded trash in her own home

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