EAST HAVEN, Conn. — Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of East Haven 92-year-old, William Augur, who passed away 14 months ago, but whose body was not discovered until this week.
East Haven Police said when they canvassed the Elm Street neighborhood, residents told them the son of the deceased mentioned that his elderly father had died. But neighbors had no idea his body remained in their home for over a year.
"I haven't seen them in in the past few months, so I was kind of wondering what was going on and then all of a sudden this came along," said Aldo Lucatino, who owns a home across the street from the Augur's Elm Street residence.
The police investigation began Tuesday when police received word from the East Haven Memorial Funeral Home regarding a person inquiring about cremations and burials, but that's not all.
"When the funeral home attempted to gather further information they realized that the caller was talking about somebody who had passed away over a year ago," said East Haven Police Captain Joseph Murgo.
Then, the same person who called the funeral home reached out to police "asking about what the steps were to get a coroner to the house," Murgo said.
When police arrived at 58 Elm St, nobody answered the door. So police forced entry and discovered Mr. Auger's badly decomposed body in a bedroom.
"It's unclear exactly why it took so long to report this death," Murgo said.
The results of William Auger's autopsy today: circumstances pending further investigation, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
"Charges could be filed," Murgo said. "You know you do have to report a death within a reasonable amount of time."
Police said they have not yet interviewed the son of Auger.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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