3 Family Members Found Living with a Dead Relative for Months: 'Odor Was Extraordinarily Unpleasant'

Mar. 15, 2025

Greene County Sheriff’s vehicle.Photo:policecararchives.org

policecararchives.org

Police in Pennsylvania discovered a gruesome scene last week when a man’s brother reported that he had died in his home — only to learn that the man had been dead for months.

“Upon arrival, we met the brother. The brother was distraught and basically stated that his brother had passed away,” Greene County Regional Police Department Chief William DeForte told WPXI. “That’s where things took a turn, a very interesting turn."

According to DeForte, officers who responded to the call immediately noticed that Bebout was in an “advanced state of decomposition,” he told KDKA, adding that it seemed that three family members had been living in the house throughout the months that he was deceased.

Michael Bebout’s home in Canton Township, Pennsylvania.Google images

Google images

“Currently, our investigation from my detectives has uncovered that family members have been very transient in nature, entering the house and spending the night there, leaving, staying for weeks on end, while the decedent was upstairs in his bed,” DeForte added to KDKA.

The police chief also told the outlets that the house was extremely dirty, telling WTAE that dog and rodent feces were building up on the floor and that the family members might be suffering from a hoarding disorder.

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“The conditions were awful," he told WPXI. “There was wall-to-wall dog feces. The situation looked like a hoarder had lived there, very difficult to traverse through the residence, and the odor was extraordinarily unpleasant.”

“Externally, I don’t think that you would really know,” DeForte added to WTAE. “Internally, the house was definitely built up with a lot of dog feces. There was a lot of hoarding. I don’t think that the environment would have been conducive for anybody to live in.”

The chief also said that while investigators don’t believe there was any foul play involved in the 64-year-old’s death, they are looking into any financial crimes that may have occurred. Investigators will look into any social security benefits, pensions or other income he may have been receiving.

source: people.com