By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
At approximately 8:25 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a home in the 1800 block of Rochester Road to perform a welfare check.
The homeowner, an 81-year-old man, contacted a neighbor, seeking medical attention for himself. While there, deputies discovered the deceased body of his 61-year-old wife inside the residence.
“The homeowner went to the neighbor’s house and requested medical. The neighbor called the fire department and requested a welfare check be done at the house,” Addison Township Substation Commander Sergeant Keith Weir shared of how the events unfolded.
According to reports, the husband is currently battling the onset of dementia, among other mental illnesses, which severely impact his competency and decision-making.
“The neighbor is familiar with him and he didn’t appear normal. The fire department went there to check on him, and in doing so, we’ve been to this house numerous times, we went there, not last summer but the summer before, and we took 50-some cats out of it then. So, we were familiar with the homeowners. They (the fire department) made entry to check the welfare and provide medical attention to the husband and observed the deceased body of the wife. So, that’s when we were called.”
As of Friday, September 11, the investigation is ongoing, but Weir confirmed foul play is not suspected and an initial autopsy did not reveal any suspicious activity.
The preliminary report from the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office estimated the woman, who had a lengthy history of substance abuse issues, had been deceased for three-to-five days before her body was discovered.
The husband was transported to Ascension Providence of Rochester for medical treatment and the home, which was infested with insects, has been condemned under a local ordinance because of the living conditions.
Oakland County Animal Control was requested to respond to the residence and removed a total of 11 pets, nine cats, one dog, and one bird.