Group of 7 squatted in Georgia house alongside homeowner’s months-old mummified body: police

A group of 7 burglars are accused of squatting successful and looting their victim’s location successful Georgia while his mummified assemblage was still inside.

Cobb County Police responded to nan location successful Smyrna, Georgia successful early October for a wellness check, but alternatively recovered Robert Westbrook, nan 71-year-old homeowner and lone occupant, dormant successful his bathtub, WANF reported.

“He was successful a terrible authorities of decomposition. It’s called mummification,” Detective Daniel Goduto told WANF.

Detectives said that Westbrook died of earthy causes and his assemblage had been successful nan bathtub for astir 3 months. However, they besides recovered grounds that personification other had taken up residence successful nan location during those months Westbrook’s corpse laic successful nan bathtub.

“[The home] was ransacked. Drawers were overturned. His maestro chamber was wholly conscionable disheveled,” Goduto told nan section outlet.

“But then, location were items accordant pinch personification still surviving there. The trash looked for illustration it was taken retired regularly. It looked for illustration location was worldly successful nan garbage tin that was reasonably new,” he added.

Police received a telephone nan time aft nan wellness cheque from a neighbour of Westbrook’s who knew that he had died claiming that they saw group connected his property. Officers went to cheque connected nan location again and recovered 4 suspects pinch pieces of Westbrook’s spot loaded into their vehicle, fresh to abscond pinch nan dormant man’s belongings — including his money, electronics, and moreover his car.

“They had nan victim’s in installments cards. They had immoderate checks from him,” Goduto said.

Police were capable to retrieve Westbrook’s stolen car astatine a adjacent state position — complete pinch nan remaining 3 suspects who had made disconnected pinch nan vehicle.

“They had made purchases wrong of nan state station. They were playing nan lottery machines wrong of nan state position pinch his money.”

All 7 suspects knew each other, pinch a fewer having erstwhile criminal histories successful Cobb County, according to nan detective.

“It goes to show their civilized compass, if you will,” Goduto said.

“I mean, they collapsed into someone’s home. They saw him deceased connected nan crushed and alternatively of saying, ‘Hey, we messed up. Let’s telephone 911. We recovered this feline dead,’ they decided to conscionable unrecorded there.”

Unsuspecting neighbors were unnerved by their neighbor’s demise and nan squatters who made themselves astatine home.

“I had nary thought that this had been happening,” neighbour Sophia Da Silva told WANF.

“I had nary thought that he was dead. I had nary thought that he was robbed. It was rather shocking.”

The extracurricular of Westbrook’s location was choked by overgrown vegetation, which constabulary judge made nan residence an easy target since it looked abandoned.

“I deliberation they thought it was a vacant house,” Goduto said.

“If you cognize you person an aged neighbor, cheque connected them. If you spot their location is overgrown, cheque connected them,” he said successful a call-out to nan public.