Margareta Scheibe identified as Illinois woman found dead under trash in home

The decomposed body of an elderly Illinois woman was discovered under mounds of trash in her home in southwest suburban Chicago.

Photo/Nathan Bevier, U.S. Air Force via wikicommons

Margareta Scheibe, 72, was found by police and firefighters Tuesday afternoon at her home. An autopsy was scheduled for later today, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

“A dilapidated shed filled with broken lawn mowers and yard equipment is in the backyard and two trash-filled vehicles could be seen in the driveway. The view of the house from the street is obscured by several large evergreen trees in the front yard,” the Chicago Tribune described of the scene.

“The stench inside the house was unbearable, even for officers with the hazardous material masks, a Worth police source said. Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the property while an officer in a squad car guarded the front of the home.”

Scheibe had lived in the house with her 42-year-old son, but it was a friend who contacted authorities after not seeing the woman for a month.

Police noted that many areas of the home were inaccessible because of the stacks of garbage.

“I thought, there’s no happy ending here,” younger brother, Bill Scheibe Jr. said. “I just had a feeling. I had a bad feeling for years. . .It’s a terrible thing to deal with.”

“I never want to go in again,” Scheibe said Wednesday. “It’s a TV show come to life.”

Several neighbors, who asked not to be identified, said they saw police talking with Scheibe’s son on Tuesday.

No charges have been filed, the police source said.

An autopsy found that Margareta Scheibe died from heart disease, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, which found no sign of trauma.