Elderly Mother, Daughter Found Dead After Welfare Check

Avon Lake police checking in on an elderly mother and her daughter found both women, who were apparently recluses, dead on July 26.

Marcia Waugaman, 85, and her daughter Linda Waugaman, 58, were found in their home at 128 Harvey Pkwy. Police were forced to break in the house after efforts to try to reach them failed.

 Lt. Duane Streator said they had no relatives in the area and only knew of a nephew in New Hampshire.

Streator said Linda Waugaman appeared to have been dead for a few weeks; her mother appeared to have been dead significantly longer. No one had heard from or seen the pair in several weeks.

Foul play is not suspected.

Streator, who said the situation was tragic, said the pair was reclusive by choice and the police had been in contact with them in the past, as had neighbors.

“The neighbors rarely saw them but would leave food for them by their door,” Streator said. “We had some previous dealings with them and the mother assured me they were all right. The mother was very evasive and very protective of her daughter.”

Marcia Waugaman's husband Charles died in 1972. Marcia was a former worker at the.

One neighbor, who asked not to be identified said she had spoken on occasion with the mother and daughter. Neighbors liked the two and never had any problems with them.

"They were good people," she said. "Very nice."

The woman said the neighborhood was warm and friendly and people had stepped up to help the two, but tried to respect the Waugamans' privacy. She added she did not believe there was a "need" issue.

"Some people choose to die at home and some in a hospital," the neighbor said. "That's their business."

Streator said the daughter appeared to have some mental health issues. 

The Lorain County Coroner's office is reviewing the deaths.