Woman Dead For Over A Year Found Inside Petaluma Home: Police

PETALUMA, CA — A suspicious death investigation was underway in Petaluma after authorities found a woman's body in the advanced stages of decomposition inside a home, with her adult daughter still living there, police said.

Officers with the Petaluma Police Department responded at 10:52 a.m. Tuesday to a home in the 200 block of Windsor Drive in West Petaluma to check the welfare of a resident who had not been seen for some time, Petaluma police Lt. Jeremy Walsh said in a news release.

Some 20-30 packages were stacked on the porch and neighbors said no one would answer the door.

Officers tried several times to contact the resident and when no one answered, they went inside and found a woman dead on the couch in the living room, Walsh said.

"A short time after the discovery of the body, the officers were shocked to hear a female voice calling out to them from a bedroom," Walsh said. "After a slow and methodical process of clearing the debris, officers were able to safely get her out of the room and ultimately transported to an area hospital for medical treatment."

She identified herself as the deceased woman's daughter.

Her mother's body was in the advanced stages of decomposition and it appeared she was dead for over a year, police said.

The daughter told officers her mother died of natural causes in April 2021, Walsh said.

"We obviously have a lot of questions and a lot of work still to do on this investigation, so it is still too early to determine if criminal charges will be filed," Walsh said.

The Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office took possession of the body and was working to positively identify her as well as hopefully determine a cause of death.

"Detectives assigned to this investigation will be looking into the circumstances surrounding her death, review any available medical history, trying to locate any surviving friends or relatives for interviews, why exactly was her death never reported and if there is any criminal negligence on the adult daughter, as the decedent’s sole care provider when she was alive, for her actions or inactions which could have contributed to her deterioration and ultimate death," Walsh said.

Detectives will also be looking into financial records to see if any benefits entitled to the decedent were being collected and inappropriately used, the lieutenant said.

Based on statements made, detectives believe she [the daughter] did not leave the house, other than to go to the mailbox since the beginning of March 2020. All her living essentials were ordered online and delivered to the home, including daily meals.

The conditions inside the home were unlivable in that it was filled with clutter, trash and boxes from floor to ceiling, police said.

"Small, almost impassable paths were carved out of the debris and created some challenges for the officers when they went inside the home," Walsh said. "Other than the living conditions inside the home, there was no unusual or obvious cause of death."

Because of the unknown circumstances surrounding the death, the Petaluma Police Department Investigations Team and members of the Crime Scene Investigations Team responded and initiated an unattended death investigation. A search warrant was obtained, and thorough processing of the scene was completed, Walsh said.

A City of Petaluma Code Enforcement Officer responded and red-tagged the home because the interior conditions were not inhabitable.

Police said there were no outstanding suspects or safety concerns in the neighborhood; anyone who has information relevant to the investigation was asked to contact Detective Daniel Boyd at dboyd@cityofpetaluma.org or 707-778-4334.