The Glastonbury Police have released photos and videos of a house where the remains of a retired Bridgeport police detective were discovered under ceiling-high piles of garbage, eight months after she went missing.
The remains of Mary Notarangelo were found beneath the mountains of trash inside her Tollgate Road home, along with dead birds, mice, and a cat. The footage has been released on request from CT Insider.
The cop's body-worn camera showed they initially struggled to enter the house due to extreme hoarding conditions. They were having trouble opening the front door as debris piled so high it reached above the door frame.
One of the police officers said, "Hoarders usually have paths. But this was like just a piled floor to almost the ceiling. You literally would have had to climb over stuff."
One of the police officers decided to enter the house through a bathroom window, but refused to go further as the place was filled with used toilet paper and faeces. One of the police officers said, "It's just not safe."
Ms Notarangelo was reported missing on July 3, 2024, The NY Post reported. When officers visited her house looking for her, they were met with piles of trash cans, plastic bottles and scattered debris. During their first search, they only found empty bird cages, as she was fond of keeping birds.
The police footage shows a friend of Ms Notarangelo, who reported her missing, telling them he saw bird seed that was delivered but never brought inside. Ms Notarangelo, he claimed, would never leave food for her birds.
When one of the officers was seen walking through piles of trash, he said, "I got a cat." The cat was the only living being they found during the search. When they searched further, they also found dead birds in the house.
Glastonbury Police Chief Marshall Porter said that officers searched the house multiple times, but the filthy and dangerous conditions made it difficult. They even brought a cadaver dog, drone, biohazard waste cleanup company, but still they couldn't find Ms Notarangelo's body.
During the second attempt in February, police used an excavator to move the massive piles of garbage, and that's when they finally discovered her body. The cause of her death is still unknown.
Ms Notarangelo's friend told the cops that he received the text from her in June, complaining of vomiting, falling and abdominal pain. So, he came to check in on her in July when he discovered the birdseed outside her house.
According to Bridgeport police, Ms Notarangelo worked in the department from 1985 to 1986 and in 1992, she was promoted to detective, and a year later, to sergeant. However, her friend said that she was forced to retire on disability after being involved in an on-duty car accident that hurt her back and legs.
