Buzz
Death is inescapable, but how we react to it is often influenced by cultural customs or spiritual beliefs. In some instances, mental health struggles, criminal motives, fear of the unknown, or sheer indifference dictate how someone responds to the loss of a family member. Generally, however, the deceased's body is treated with some level of respect and given a proper resting place.
However, that's not always the case. In many cultures, when individuals continue living with the deceased family member for extended periods—whether days, weeks, months, or even longer—it is seen as crossing a boundary, not just between life and death, but between what is socially acceptable and what is deemed taboo.
10. Robert James Kuefler
Robert James Kuefler from Minnesota rejected being called a 'nut ball' for living with the remains of his deceased mother and brother for an entire year. He explained that he did so because he was deeply traumatized. 'What would you do?' he questioned.
Autopsies conducted on Kuefler’s family members confirmed his statements, showing that both of them passed away from natural causes in 2015. The White Bear Lake Police uncovered the bodies in September 2016, following the scent of decay that led them to the skeletal remains of Kuefler’s 93-year-old mother, Evelyn Lucille Kuefler, upstairs, and the body of his twin brother, Richard John Kuefler, in the basement. After finding his brother’s body seated in a chair, Kuefler relocated it to the bathroom, claiming it was 'in the way.'
In order to avoid questions and visits from friends and relatives, Kuefler’s Christmas cards stated that his mother and brother were unwell and did not wish to be called or visited. The cards explained that his mother had wished to pass away at home and had no funeral plans.
Kuefler was charged with interfering with a dead body or scene of death, a misdemeanor, in order to provide him with psychological assistance, though Kuefler insisted that he did not require counseling.
9. Sangeeta Iyer
Sangeeta Iyer, a 45-year-old woman from Vasai, India, lived with the body of her 42-year-old deceased sister, Lalita, for three days before notifying the Manickpur police in August 2014. This wasn't the first time she had shared their Pushpanjali Apartment with a dead family member. The previous year, she and her sister had lived there with the body of their deceased mother. After being estranged from the rest of their family, the mother and daughters secluded themselves from society, with the mother and younger sister eventually dying from starvation.
Sangeeta, who was married, had lived with her husband until he disowned her. Unable to care for herself, she moved in with her mother and younger sister. Sangeeta has since been ordered to receive psychiatric care, and her apartment will be leased to another tenant. The rent income will be used to cover Sangeeta’s medical expenses.
8. Partha De
Authorities initially suspected that Arabinda De, a man in his seventies, had deliberately set his house on fire in an attempt to take his own life. Their investigation into the apparent suicide, which began in June 2015, led to a horrifying discovery: Arabinda’s 44-year-old son, Partha De, had been living with the skeletal remains of his 50-year-old sister, Debjani, and her two dogs.
Partha claimed that Debjani had died from starvation after she undertook a fast to drive away evil spirits she believed were haunting their home. She passed away on December 29, 2014, and her dogs died earlier in August and September of the same year.
According to the police, Debjani’s body, along with those of the dogs, was kept in Partha’s bedroom. One investigator described the room as a dusty disaster: 'There was a pile of about 50-60 bones on one side of the bed, with cakes and pastries placed nearby. There was another small cot with a skeleton, half covered by a blanket. A few stuffed toys were near the headboard.' Partha explained that the food was meant for his sister and the dogs, and he made sure to feed them every day. The bedroom windows and other openings were sealed off to trap the smell of decay inside.
Although Partha’s family lived next door, he was largely estranged from them. When they visited him for his birthday, he refused to let them into his home. A maid cooked meals for Partha, but she left immediately afterward.
Partha was diagnosed with depressive psychosis, and the authorities charged him with an offense 'likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life' and with failing 'to provide information to public servants.' A suicide note written by Arabinda on June 8 was found, indicating he had been planning his death days before.
After receiving treatment at a psychiatric hospital, Partha was discharged in February 2017. Like his father, he died by suicide, setting his apartment on fire—the very place he had resided since his release. Investigators discovered petrol and a matchbox in the bathroom near his burned remains.
7. Brookline Woman
Neighbors referred to the $1 million mansion in Brookline, Massachusetts, as haunted, though they had no idea what truly transpired within its walls. One of its occupants, a 67-year-old woman, lived with the corpse of her 66-year-old sister for over a year.
The reclusive sisters were hoarders who had boarded up the front of their house a year before a cousin discovered the younger sister’s body under the kitchen table during a visit in December 2016. Despite neighbors offering to help with their yard work, the women declined. Dr. Kimberly Glazier Leonte, a hoarding specialist, explained that hoarders tend to isolate themselves due to embarrassment. Leonte suggested that the older sister might have continued living with her sibling’s body because she was too afraid to inform the authorities.
Police offered another explanation for why the woman didn’t report the death. They stated that she had only learned of her sister’s passing when they informed her of it. Despite living together, the surviving sister had been unaware of her younger sibling’s death.
Due to the condition of the property, the health department declared the house uninhabitable.
6. Mary Ellen Lyons
Michael Lyons, known as 'Sonny,' lived in a rural County Mayo bungalow in Ireland with his two sisters, Agnes and Mary Ellen Lyons. The sisters, who shared a bed, were so secluded that Sonny didn’t realize Agnes had passed away until a year later, during which time Mary Ellen had continued to sleep beside her sister’s skeletal remains. Agnes had been in poor health for a long time before her death and was likely bedridden.
Devoutly religious, Agnes expressed in her written notes that she never wished to be apart from her sister. John O’Driscoll, a superintendent with An Garda Siochana, Ireland’s national police service, stated that the sisters deliberately chose to withdraw from the world and limit their interactions with their brother, mainly communicating with him through notes and shopping lists they left behind.
Sonny, who respected his sisters' desire for privacy, last saw Agnes four years prior to her death, when she returned home from the hospital. He discovered her remains on August 4, 2004, when he went to inform her that Mary Ellen was unwell, and immediately contacted the authorities. After an inquest into Agnes’s death, authorities opted not to charge either Mary Ellen or Sonny.
5. Lynnette and Shayla Greenop
On November 10, 2016, police in Troon, Scotland, were alerted by a neighbor who detected a foul odor from the house next door. Upon investigation, they found not only two tarantulas, rats, a rabbit, a blind cat, and a three-legged sheepdog, but also the decomposing body of 46-year-old Sharon Greenop. She had likely been dead for months while her daughter, Shayla, 19, and her sister, Lynette, 38, continued living in the house as though nothing had changed.
Lynette declined to answer any questions from reporters, responding with 'no comment' when asked why her sister's body had remained in the house for two months, whether she and Shayla had lived there with the corpse, and whether candles had been used to mask the stench of Sharon’s decay.
Police later charged Lynette with the murder of her disabled sister, Sharon, accusing her of beating and strangling Sharon, and leaving her to die without seeking medical help. Shayla was also arrested but released 'pending further inquiries.' Forensic experts treated the scene as suspicious. Lynette faces charges of failing to seek medical aid and causing injuries severe enough to result in Sharon’s death.
4. Patrick Lara
In January 2011, Adrian Lugo, 63, broke his arm. His 45-year-old nephew, Patrick Lara, who lived with him, did not call for help. A few days later, Lugo passed away, and Lara proceeded to steal his uncle’s ATM card, using it to withdraw money from Lugo’s bank account to fund a gambling spree.
Lara lived with his uncle’s decaying remains for 30 days until a relative discovered Lugo’s mold-covered corpse and alerted Merced County police. Lara was then arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and held in jail on a $175,000 bond while awaiting trial.
3. Kaling Wald and Family
For six months, the body of Peter Wald, who passed away at 52, was kept in an upstairs bedroom of his family’s home in Hamilton, Canada. His wife, Kaling, 50, and their six children (five of whom lived at home) believed that God would bring Peter back to life in response to their prayers. While waiting for his resurrection, Kaling sealed the bedroom to contain the odor of decomposition, as the house was also shared by other adults.
In September 2013, as the family faced eviction due to defaulting on their mortgage, the sheriff arrived to carry out the eviction and discovered Peter’s severely decomposed body, which had attracted rodents. The family had packed his belongings as part of the move and made no attempt to hide the corpse. Although the Children’s Aid Society investigated, no action was taken and the case was closed. Kaling admitted to not reporting her husband’s death and was sentenced to probation and counseling.
2. Travis Butler
In early November 1999, in Memphis, Tennessee, nine-year-old Trais Butler was terrified that he would be sent to a foster home after the death of his 30-year-old mother, Crystal Wells. To avoid that, he covered her body with notebook paper and her coat, continuing to live with the corpse for 30 days until December 6, when family members came to visit him.
At his mother's funeral, Travis was given the American flag that had draped her coffin. Subsequently, his maternal grandparents, Shirley and H.P. Wilder, took him to their home in Carthage, Missouri. Wells, who had high blood pressure and respiratory issues, seemed to have passed away from natural causes.
1. Mamak Lisa
In the region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, living alongside the deceased is an integral part of life.
At a family coffee gathering, a relative casually asked Mamak Lisa, 'How is your father?' Everyone’s eyes turned toward the small corner room where he lay. 'He’s still sick,' she responded. In truth, her father, Paul Cirinda, had passed away 12 years ago. Yet, she keeps his body in her home, speaking to him as though he were still alive. To preserve his body, it has been treated with formalin.
While the Toraja people are mostly Christian, their belief in animism, a faith that holds that spirits inhabit all things, still persists. For the Toraja, the boundary between life and death, and between this world and the next, is incredibly thin. This belief explains why Lisa offers her deceased father daily meals, drinks, and cigarettes, bathes him, changes his clothes, provides him with a toilet, and ensures he is never left alone or in darkness. She believes her father can still hear her, and failing to care for him could anger his spirit, bringing misfortune to the family.
The Torajan tradition of keeping deceased relatives in the home for extended periods comes from an age-old custom meant to give family members time to grieve and adjust to the loss of their loved ones. Lisa explained, 'If we buried him immediately, the pain would be too sudden, and we wouldn't have time to process the grief or come to terms with the separation.' Her children visit their grandfather’s body, speaking to him and hoping he will awaken so they can take him out for a meal.
When the family has gathered enough funds for the 'grand funeral' required by their culture, they will bury Cirinda. The extravagant service, which can cost up to $50,000, will conclude with his body being placed in a cave. Every two years or so, his body will be brought out for a family reunion, where he will be treated as an honored guest. At the gathering, he will be offered food, washed, dressed in fresh clothes, taken on a walk around the village, and photographed with his family.
