ianstone
08-29-2010, 08:14 PM
Husband of hoarder discovers her body under piles of rubbish in the messy house they shared - four months after she went missing
By Paul Thompson (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Paul+Thompson)
Last updated at 11:09 PM on 29th August 2010
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A four-month search for a missing woman in the US had ended - after she was found buried under piles of rubbish at her home.
Billie Jean James was found by her shocked husband who incredibly who had been living in the same house as his wife's corpse.
He spotted one of her feet sticking out from underneath the mountain of rubbish and clutter that littered their Las Vegas home.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/29/article-0-0AF18422000005DC-142_468x302.jpg Hoarder: Billie Jean James, pictured in January 2010, was discovered dead under piles of rubbish in the home she shared with her husband. He had reported her missing four months before
Police had searched the house several times while looking for 67-year-old James who was known to be a compulsive hoarder.
Sniffer dogs who were used to locate bodies at the site of Ground Zero in New York after the 9/11 terror attack were also sent into the single storey property.
But they were unable to locate the body amid floor to ceiling piles of clothes, rubbish, empty food boxes and other goods that "hoarder" Mrs James had stored.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/29/article-1307228-0AF183FE000005DC-337_468x286.jpg Clutter: The Las Vegas home of Billie Jean James was so full of rubbish bags, clothes and empty food cartons that sniffer dogs were unable to locate her body
'For our dogs to go through that house and not find something should be indicative of the tremendous environmental challenges they faced,' said Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell.
Friends said Mrs James was compulsive hoarder who spent her weekends buying goods at car boot sales.
She also frequented thrift shops and refused to allow anyone into her house because he was so ashamed of the mess.
Police said small pathways had been forged through the clutter to allow the couple to move around the house.
James, 68, first reported his wife missing in April.
He feared she might have suffered a stroke and become disorientated.
Police with tracker dogs and helicopters with heat seeking cameras were deployed to search the Nevada desert area around their home.
James paid for posters and banners to be put up in the Las Vegas area and created a Facebook page in the hope of solving what had happened to his wife.
A reward of £7,500 was also offered and digital billboards with Mrs James's photograph were placed around the Las Vegas "Strip" where most of the casinos are based.
The police sniffer dogs searched the house at least three times but were unable to pick up Mrs James's scent.
Officials believe rotting food and other pungent smells stopped the dogs from working properly.
Cassell said there were "a lot of ambient odours in the house," including rubbish bags full of rotting food, stacks and piles of clothing as well as animal odours that restricted airflow to the dogs' noses.
The couple, who had been married 40 years, had built a second home on their property to hold all of her belongings.
Bill James said he found the body while cleaning out a back room in one of the homes that James called her "rabbit hole" He spotted one of her feet sticking out from under the rubbish and alerted authorities.
The Las Vegas medical examiner said it could be several weeks before a cause of death is determined.
Friends of James, a peace activist, said her hoarding had got out of control.
'She became this hoarder person and she wouldn't let anyone come in her house,' said Sari Connolly.
'It went out of control.'
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By Paul Thompson (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Paul+Thompson)
Last updated at 11:09 PM on 29th August 2010
Comments (0) (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1307228/Husband-hoarder-discovers-body-piles-rubbish-messy-house-shared--months-went-missing.html#comments)
Add to My Stories (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1307228/Husband-hoarder-discovers-body-piles-rubbish-messy-house-shared--months-went-missing.html)
A four-month search for a missing woman in the US had ended - after she was found buried under piles of rubbish at her home.
Billie Jean James was found by her shocked husband who incredibly who had been living in the same house as his wife's corpse.
He spotted one of her feet sticking out from underneath the mountain of rubbish and clutter that littered their Las Vegas home.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/29/article-0-0AF18422000005DC-142_468x302.jpg Hoarder: Billie Jean James, pictured in January 2010, was discovered dead under piles of rubbish in the home she shared with her husband. He had reported her missing four months before
Police had searched the house several times while looking for 67-year-old James who was known to be a compulsive hoarder.
Sniffer dogs who were used to locate bodies at the site of Ground Zero in New York after the 9/11 terror attack were also sent into the single storey property.
But they were unable to locate the body amid floor to ceiling piles of clothes, rubbish, empty food boxes and other goods that "hoarder" Mrs James had stored.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/29/article-1307228-0AF183FE000005DC-337_468x286.jpg Clutter: The Las Vegas home of Billie Jean James was so full of rubbish bags, clothes and empty food cartons that sniffer dogs were unable to locate her body
'For our dogs to go through that house and not find something should be indicative of the tremendous environmental challenges they faced,' said Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell.
Friends said Mrs James was compulsive hoarder who spent her weekends buying goods at car boot sales.
She also frequented thrift shops and refused to allow anyone into her house because he was so ashamed of the mess.
Police said small pathways had been forged through the clutter to allow the couple to move around the house.
James, 68, first reported his wife missing in April.
He feared she might have suffered a stroke and become disorientated.
Police with tracker dogs and helicopters with heat seeking cameras were deployed to search the Nevada desert area around their home.
James paid for posters and banners to be put up in the Las Vegas area and created a Facebook page in the hope of solving what had happened to his wife.
A reward of £7,500 was also offered and digital billboards with Mrs James's photograph were placed around the Las Vegas "Strip" where most of the casinos are based.
The police sniffer dogs searched the house at least three times but were unable to pick up Mrs James's scent.
Officials believe rotting food and other pungent smells stopped the dogs from working properly.
Cassell said there were "a lot of ambient odours in the house," including rubbish bags full of rotting food, stacks and piles of clothing as well as animal odours that restricted airflow to the dogs' noses.
The couple, who had been married 40 years, had built a second home on their property to hold all of her belongings.
Bill James said he found the body while cleaning out a back room in one of the homes that James called her "rabbit hole" He spotted one of her feet sticking out from under the rubbish and alerted authorities.
The Las Vegas medical examiner said it could be several weeks before a cause of death is determined.
Friends of James, a peace activist, said her hoarding had got out of control.
'She became this hoarder person and she wouldn't let anyone come in her house,' said Sari Connolly.
'It went out of control.'
http://f.dailymail.co.uk/i/furniture/articles/ic_print.gif Print this article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1307228/Husband-hoarder-discovers-body-piles-rubbish-messy-house-shared--months-went-missing.html#)
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1307228/Husband-hoarder-discovers-body-piles-rubbish-messy-house-shared--months-went-missing.html#ixzz0y2lEuMaZ