Town Demolishes Home of ‘Hoarder to the Extreme’ Found Dead in Basement

The town of Cheshire, Connecticut, has demolished the clutter-filled home where a 66-year-old woman was found dead in June, buried in her basement beneath a floor that had collapsed under the weight of piles of trash.

Beverly Mitchell, 66, who neighbors described as a "hoarder to the extreme," 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 demolition.

Gezin Hoxhallari, who owns the vacant lot next door, said he plans to build a new house on the property.