Simi Valley police are looking into a suspicious death of an elderly woman who lived in such a "cluttered environment" that officials had to break windows to get into the house.
The body of a 70-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was found Monday afternoon in her home on Fitzgerald Road. The coroner’s office will perform an autopsy Wednesday to determine the cause of death.
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Meanwhile, multiple detectives suited up with masks and boots have been combing through evidence from the house since Monday to determine if the clutter was a "cause or contributing factor to the death," Simi Valley Police Sgt. Craig Duncan said.
"They had to pull the door off to get in, and then as soon as they opened the door, they were climbing up on somthing," neighbor Nancy DeLong said.
Officials said a male witness inside the home called the police when he discovered the body. He is not allowed back at the house, but police said he is not in custody and is fully cooperating with the investigation.
DeLong and another neighbor said they only ever saw the man come out of the house from time to time, and were unaware a woman even lived there.
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"He was very reclusive," DeLong said. "I call him the 'Boo Radley' of the neighborhood."
Neighbor Edward Gonzalez said the house was also in disarray on the outside. He said the city paid the home a visit three or four years ago to make the residents clean up tall grass and weeds in the front yard.
Police said they removed two dogs, which appeared to be healthy, from the home on Monday.
