Evanston police are investigating why a 90-year-old woman, Margaret Bernstorff, was apparently living in a home with three dead siblings—one of which is believed to have died in the early 1980s.
How and when the siblings died and their ages were still being determined, said Evanston police Cmdr. Tom Guenther. The bodies were found Friday morning in a large home on the 1200 block of Judson Avenue, he said.
“We know we have three deceased people,” Guenther said. “We don’t know how their deaths occurred.”
The Bernstorff’s are believed to have died from natural causes, but autopsies are scheduled for Saturday. At least two of the bodies were skeletons and the third was very badly decomposed, according to authorities.
Guenther said police were called by a City of Evanston senior advocate who had an ongoing relationship with the woman.
Caroline Carlton, who lives across the street from the woman, said she last saw her neighbor passing out candy in the driveway on Halloween. Carlton said she had never been inside the house but from outside, it was well-maintained.
Neatness always counts with neighbors.
They were a very “quiet” family…
..hey wait… is the THE AMITYVILLE HOUSE?!?!
At least the conversation was good.
Not to be the 1st cynic in the door; but, I presume their social security checks continued to arrive.
Dinner time arguments were minimal. As a bonus, bathroom waits were also very brief.
That’s pretty high-priced real estate in that part of Evanston.
I guess Social Security isn’t as bad as they make it out to be.
Having suffered a parent’s death last year, I can see how an elderly person could just not tell anyone.
My own experience dealing with a funeral home whose employee stole my mothers identity, social security who mistakenly reported my brother and not my mother as being dead, and over-charging lawyers in 4 states would make me think twice about reporting a death if I wasn’t long for this world.
I suspect moss is right. You need X amount of money to keep things going. If you report the death it is X-Y = not enough.
You keep your mouth shut and you have a roof over your head. It is kind of obvious nobody cared about them besides each other.
She used to live in a shoe.
You know how it is — after all “tomorrow is another day.” You think of all the bother and you haven’t even had your nap yet, so you put it off until later…
Before you know it, _years_ have passed! (I knew there was _something_ I was supposed to be doing!)
No one mentioned…before the last one dies there were two people living with two dead siblings, and before that three living with one dead? You have to wonder what they were thinking, “Wow, I hope she goes first otherwise my sister will just leave me here to rot like we have left them for so many years”?