Retired detective found dead under ‘mountains’ of trash in her home 7 months after she went missing, police say

GLASTONBURY, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A 73-year-old former police detective in Connecticut was found dead in her home more than seven months after she was reported missing.

The remains of Mary Notarangelo were discovered in her house in Glastonbury in February after multiple attempts to locate her since July 2024.

A friend had called police to request a welfare check July 3, 2024.

The friend told investigators that the 73-year-old last texted him around June 12, 2024, saying she was having abdominal cramps, vomiting and had fallen, AP reported.

It’s not clear why the friend, who did not respond to the text messages, waited so long to call police.

However, when officers arrived at the home in July 2024, they couldn’t find her.

They also sent a drone into the house, but it hit cobwebs and became disabled. More searches, they said, were conducted on July 5, July 11, July 12 and Nov. 20.

It wasn’t until February that a work crew using a small excavator discovered her skeletal remains. Her remains were found beneath a pile of debris heaped just inside her front door.

Once inside, officers said there were 6-foot-tall “mountains” of garbage blocking entrance doors. Dead birds were found in cages along with mice running about and a live cat.

“There was no path whatsoever. The only way to move from room to room was by climbing over the garbage,” Officer Anthony Longo said.

“Mary’s body was located just inside the front door to the left under multiple feet of the contents, which included clothing, blankets, garbage,” police said.

Her remains were so badly decomposed that only some hair was left on her head.

It’s also not clear why it took seven months to find her remains.

Notarangelo worked at the Bridgeport Police Department from 1985 to 1996. She was promoted to detective in 1992 and to sergeant a year later. She retired on disability after an on-duty car crash that injured her back and legs.

Since her retirement, she lived a very reclusive life.

At this time, the state medical examiner’s office said her cause of death could not be determined because the remains were mostly skeletal.