The story of a woman in Michigan whose mortgage and other bills were paid automatically out of her five-figure checking account balance account while friends and family assumed that she was doing her own thing captured the public’s imagination. The idea that anyone could die and not be missed is chilling. Now DNA tests have confirmed that the homeowner was indeed the mummified body found in the back seat of her Jeep.

Yes, common sense would tell us that someone found in the back of a missing woman’s car that was parked in her garage is most likely the homeowner, but the condition of the woman’s body made her difficult to identify. After investigators were unable to find her dental records, they turned to testing DNA from the body. Her body was found in March as the house finally entered foreclosure She had last been seen in public late in 2008, and her family and friends were used to not hearing from her for long periods of time.

Ms. Farrenkopf’s niece runs a Facebook page called Mummified in Michigan where the family shares news about the case, as well as photos and stories about her life. The family maintains that there are still too many questions about the case, and something doesn’t sound right. For example: what happened to her pets? Why didn’t a person who the bank sent to inventory her house in the last year notice that there was someone in the car when they looked inside to check the mileage? We hope that the family finds answers.

Officials ID body found after 5 years in Pontiac garage [Times-Herald]