Hoarder mom may have unknowingly lived with son’s body for 20 years

An elderly New York hoarder earlier this month was found living with the body of her dead son, who authorities believe died as long as 20 years ago.

The New York Post reported that Rita Wolfensohn's sister-in-law made the gruesome discovery Sept. 15 when she went to the woman's Brooklyn home to pack a bag to take to her at a hospital. In a garbage-packed second-floor bedroom, she found Louis Wolfensohn's intact skeletal remains lying on a mattress on the floor, dressed in jeans, socks and a shirt.

Though the room stunk of rotten food, there was no smell of human decay, the Post reported.

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When asked about her son, Wolfensohn told investigators that he had moved out. Family members, who said they did not have a close relationship with Wolfensohn, reported that they had not seen Louis Wolfensohn in about 20 years.

The Post reported that police believe the woman, who is legally blind, may legitimately not have known her son was dead in the bedroom. They also believe he died of natural causes.

The newspaper reported that public records showed Wolfensohn’s husband, Jesse, died in 1987. The couple had two sons, Michael and Louis. Michael Wolfensohn died in 2003 at the age of 38.

Louis Wolfensohn would now be 49 years old if he were still alive.

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