A Michigan woman’s mummified body was discovered in her own garage after five years.
Pai Farrenkopf, 38 at the time of death, was found in the backseat of her car in her garage, with the key halfway in the ignition. She was estranged from family. She traveled often for weeks at a time, resided alone, and kept to herself, according to neighbors. Neighbors assumed the woman, who was of German descent, was traveling for work or visiting Germany. A nearby resident requested a wellness check on Farrenafter in 2007. With no sign of foul play, police drove away from the residence.
Farrenkopf’s mail never piled up at her home, because she usually collected it from the post office. Her bills, including her mortgage and electricity, were automatically deducted from her bank account through auto pay. Her savings totaled approximately $54,000, but eventually those funds were exhausted. The bank foreclosed on her house was after months of non-payment and ordered a contractor to repair a hole in her roof. And that’s when her body was discovered.
The cause of death is still unknown, although signs of trauma or struggle were not found. Police are treating her death as a homicide.
This isn’t the first case of an unnoticed death. In the season premiere of BET’s “Being Mary Jane,” fictional character Mary Jane reported on the real life story of Joyce Vincent, a stunning, young London socialite who was dead for three years before discovery. Vincent, who worked with celebrities and held a high position job, was found in her living room next to unwrapped Christmas presents, with the television still playing. Her remains were described as “mostly skeletal.” The odor of decomposing flesh was assumed to be nearby waste bins. Detectives found letters from relatives, but she was already dead by that time.