NEED TO KNOW
- Neighbors made multiple complaints to city officials as trash, rodents and bugs filled the home.
- The name of the deceased has not been released, but reports confirmed his body was “mummified.”
- The homeowner was taken for a mental health evaluation. No charges have been filed.
A New Orleans woman is under investigation after authorities learned she had been living in her Lakeview home with the remains of her 600 lbs. mummified son for nine months.
The woman was identified as a “mentally disabled elderly woman” named Barbara Hainsworth, Nola.com reported, citing a citation filed with the city’s Healthy Homes Administration.
Her residence was reportedly “filled with garbage, chickens, roosters, rats” when code enforcement investigators with the City of New Orleans found her son’s remains on Thursday, May 15.
Public records showed neighbors made multiple complaints to the city regarding the condition of the home as trash built up, drawing vermin, according to WDSU. Hainsworth was a former doctor who had her medical license revoked approximately a decade ago.
When officers with the New Orleans Police Department arrived at her home and inquired about the rotting dead body in her residence, she reportedly said, “That’s my son. He died about nine months ago.”
His name was not publicly released, but Hainsworth reportedly told police he suffered from multiple medical conditions.
Code Enforcement condemned the home as a health hazard, but there are reportedly no plans to demolish it at this time.
The agency became aware of the condition of the property on May 7 by a member of the New Orleans Health Department, WDSU reported.
“A Code Enforcement investigator was immediately dispatched to the property. DCE’s investigation revealed horrific conditions, including the remains of a mummified male body and evidence of extreme hoarding conditions, along with mounds of trash in and around the property,” a statement read.
“DCE informed its demolition contractor to be on standby to perform an assessment to cleanup and remove the trash and seal the hole in the bathroom floor. The property was also scheduled to be boarded by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD),” the statement continued.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
On May 6, just one day before the agency became aware of the extreme conditions, Hainsworth “was fined $6,125 and the property was declared a public nuisance,” per WDSU.
A mobile crisis unit was dispatched to have the homeowner receive a mental health evaluation. She has not been charged for any crimes or arrested, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The NOPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Read the full article here
