Marine
11-23-2002, 4:17am
For three years, neighbors ignored the tall grass and drawn shades at a Lehigh Acres house, unaware that the bodies of two people and their dog were decomposing inside.
A calendar and rotting food found Wednesday inside the home at 3000 E. Fifth St. indicates the mother, her son and their German shepherd died in 1999, Lee County sheriff’s detectives said.
Authorities found German passports belonging to an elderly woman and a man in his 30s. Their identities were not being released late Wednesday pending notification of family.
But a family friend, Heinz Rubin, said the mummified bodies are Josef Fuchs and his mother, Liz, who frequently visited Florida from their home in Aachen, Germany.
Rubin made Wednesday’s gruesome discovery when he became suspicious after the taxes on the property went unpaid on the house, which the county was preparing to sell.
He found Liz Fuchs, 70, on the floor next to the dining room table. Josef ,34, who suffered from a nervous disorder, was tucked into bed, his dog curled up at his side.
The lights inside were on and air conditioning flowed through the two-bedroom house.
Rubin, 66, of Fort Myers, said he last saw the Fuchs alive in January 1999.
“They were in good spirits, I would say,” Rubin said. “There was nothing wrong. (Josef) said “I’d like to go back to Germany.”
Aside from the dust that had accumulated over the years, detectives said the interior of the house was clean and well-kept.
They also found cheese and milk — that expired in 1999 — and blueberries in the refrigerator. A calendar was marked up to Feb. 28 of that year.
The two appeared to have died peacefully, but the cause of their deaths won’t be known until the results of an autopsy today.
“No knives, no gunshot wounds that are obvious,” sheriff’s Maj. Richard Chard said. “There are some medications, there appears to be insulin and syringes.”
The two may have been reported missing in 2000, but no one suspected anything because most of the bills were paid electronically.
Two years ago, police in Germany found the Fuchs’ residence near the Belgian border empty. They contacted Rubin, who said he wasn’t aware the mother and son had returned to the United States.
“I’d like to to know ... if it was a murder-suicide,” Rubin said. “It’s a pity.”
Residents in the German enclave in east Lee County recalled seeing Liz Fuchs walking her dog.
They said the property always was maintained until about three years ago. That’s when workers fenced in the backyard pool and posted signs advising the Fuchs to mow their grass.
But property inspectors never bothered to look inside the house, said Rudi Giessbeck, 58.
“I’m surprised nobody went looking for them in Germany — that’s so unusual,” Giessbeck said. “We were just wondering where they were.”
http://news-press.com/news/local_state/021121mummies.html
A calendar and rotting food found Wednesday inside the home at 3000 E. Fifth St. indicates the mother, her son and their German shepherd died in 1999, Lee County sheriff’s detectives said.
Authorities found German passports belonging to an elderly woman and a man in his 30s. Their identities were not being released late Wednesday pending notification of family.
But a family friend, Heinz Rubin, said the mummified bodies are Josef Fuchs and his mother, Liz, who frequently visited Florida from their home in Aachen, Germany.
Rubin made Wednesday’s gruesome discovery when he became suspicious after the taxes on the property went unpaid on the house, which the county was preparing to sell.
He found Liz Fuchs, 70, on the floor next to the dining room table. Josef ,34, who suffered from a nervous disorder, was tucked into bed, his dog curled up at his side.
The lights inside were on and air conditioning flowed through the two-bedroom house.
Rubin, 66, of Fort Myers, said he last saw the Fuchs alive in January 1999.
“They were in good spirits, I would say,” Rubin said. “There was nothing wrong. (Josef) said “I’d like to go back to Germany.”
Aside from the dust that had accumulated over the years, detectives said the interior of the house was clean and well-kept.
They also found cheese and milk — that expired in 1999 — and blueberries in the refrigerator. A calendar was marked up to Feb. 28 of that year.
The two appeared to have died peacefully, but the cause of their deaths won’t be known until the results of an autopsy today.
“No knives, no gunshot wounds that are obvious,” sheriff’s Maj. Richard Chard said. “There are some medications, there appears to be insulin and syringes.”
The two may have been reported missing in 2000, but no one suspected anything because most of the bills were paid electronically.
Two years ago, police in Germany found the Fuchs’ residence near the Belgian border empty. They contacted Rubin, who said he wasn’t aware the mother and son had returned to the United States.
“I’d like to to know ... if it was a murder-suicide,” Rubin said. “It’s a pity.”
Residents in the German enclave in east Lee County recalled seeing Liz Fuchs walking her dog.
They said the property always was maintained until about three years ago. That’s when workers fenced in the backyard pool and posted signs advising the Fuchs to mow their grass.
But property inspectors never bothered to look inside the house, said Rudi Giessbeck, 58.
“I’m surprised nobody went looking for them in Germany — that’s so unusual,” Giessbeck said. “We were just wondering where they were.”
http://news-press.com/news/local_state/021121mummies.html