Woman Found Living With Mother's Dead Body For Over A Year In California Home

In a shocking incident, a California woman has been found living with the decaying body of her mother who died more than a year ago.

Neighbors decided to call police after they found about 20-30 packages stacked on the porch of the woman's home in Petaluma and there was no answer when they knocked on the door several times, CBS News reported.

Officers carried out a welfare check at the home and made numerous attempts to contact the residents, which were unsuccessful, the Petaluma Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

After all the efforts went in vain, police forcefully entered the home and noticed the body of a woman in the living room. The woman's daughter, whose identity was not revealed, was found in a bedroom. She confirmed the body belonged to her mother.

She informed police that her mother died of natural causes in April last year. Police believe the daughter didn't leave the home in months and ordered her everyday essentials online, according to a local news outlet.

"Given the condition of the decedent being located in the advanced stages of decomposition, it appeared she had been deceased for over a year," police noted.

Authorities transported the daughter to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. The body of the unidentified woman was taken into custody by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Coroner's Office for further investigation.

Police said it could take days for the woman's identity to be released considering the level of decomposition

"She had been living inside the house the entire time and was well aware of her mother's body being located inside the house," Lt. Jeremy Walsh of the Petaluma Police Department told Newsweek.

Neighbors told officers they hadn't seen either of the female residents in weeks.

"Due to the interior conditions of the home being uninhabitable, a City of Petaluma Code Enforcement Officer responded to the scene and issued a red tagged on the home," the police statement said.

It has been confirmed that "there are no outstanding suspects or safety concerns in the neighborhood."