A retired police detective’s skeletal remains have been found inside her rural Connecticut home filled with hoarding conditions seven months after she was reported missing.
The remains of Mary Notarangelo, 73, were discovered in February after work crews arrived at her rural Connecticut home to remove heaps of debris gathered from the retired detective’s hoarding behavior, according to the Glastonbury Police Department.
Notarangelo was last heard from around June 12, 2024, when she texted a friend that she was suffering abdominal cramps and vomiting and had fallen. Approximately three weeks later, the friend contacted the police to request a welfare check.
Seven months later, on February 24, an environmental services crew was dispatched to Notarangelo’s home to begin clearing the “mountains” of waste. Workers used a small excavator to clear a massive pile of rubble behind Notarangelo’s front door, which led to the discovery of her bones.
Authorities have not explained why it took more than half a year to uncover Notarangelo’s remains, but they have pointed to the vast amount of debris in her home. Glastonbury police said the circumstances in the residence were among the worst they had seen, complicating efforts to identify Notarangelo.
Officials discovered cages containing dead birds, a live cat, and mice within the property, which reportedly had a foul odor.
“Once inside, I observed more mountains of garbage, cobwebs and spiders,” Officer Anthony Longo reported. “There was no path whatsoever. The only way to move from room to room was by climbing over the garbage.”
On July 3, 2024, local officials made their first search of the home but were unable to identify Notarangelo due to hoarding heaps. Investigators also deployed a drone into the property, but it eventually disabled itself after colliding with cobwebs. Local officials conducted additional searches on July 5, July 11, July 12, and November 20, but they were unable to locate Notarangelo.
“It’s so upsetting and so sad,” said Patti Steeves, a friend of Notarangelo’s who previously worked at the Bridgeport Police Department as a civilian employee. “She, as quirky as she was, was a good person at heart.”
Steeves said that she had attempted to speak with her buddy about the hoarding, but Notarangelo refused to address it. Notarangelo was also a “bird fanatic” with roughly 20 birds, a cat, and a dog, according to her buddy.
According to the department, Notarangelo worked for the Bridgeport police from 1985 until 1996, being promoted to detective in 1992 and sergeant the following year. Steeves stated that she later retired on disability due to an on-duty car crash.
The state medical examiner’s office could not identify Notarangelo’s cause of death because her remains were mostly skeletal.