The town of Cheshire has demolished the clutter-filled home where a 66-year-old woman died in June.
Beverly Mitchell, 66, who neighbors described as a hoarder, was found dead in the basement of 22 Winslow Road after a postman reported mail was piling up.
Emergency crews had to tear open a wall and use an excavator to sift through all the trash, according to people in the neighborhood. Police said Mitchell had refused help in the past from social services.
The structural damage to the first floor was so significant that emergency responders couldn't enter the home safely until two days after initially responding to the call for a welfare check.
Workers knocked down the house Thursday and will return tomorrow to fill in the hole. Kevin Donovan, of Excavation Technologies, called the demolition standard procudure and said there were no hidden hazards at the home.
Town Manager Michael Milone said the town put a lien on property to try to recover expenses associated with demolitio.
Gezin Hoxhallari, who owns the vacant lot next door, said he plans to build a new house on the property.
