Dead woman discovered after months in foreclosed home

MELBOURNE, Fla.  Bank contractors, inspectors and even the new owner of a foreclosed home walked past the silver Chevy Nova in the garage numerous times before discovering the former homeowner — dead on the front seat.

After the 57-year-old woman was found, possibly more than a year after her death, it took law enforcement officials months more to positively identify Kathryn Norris Kunzweiler's skeletal remains.

Now, after DNA testing on a strand of hair, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office has closed the case and ruled out foul play. Instead, the investigative report paints a picture of a lonely, disabled woman who hoarded furniture, boxes and paperwork and eventually became a victim of her own paranoia.

"During most of my investigations, I find myself learning that most neighbors don't know much about each other," said homicide agent Marlon Buggs, who led the investigation. "Society has changed, and neighbors don't communicate like they did in the past.

"In this case, she was a solitary person who was unemployed, twice divorced and did not have any close friends or children."

On Nov. 18, 2010, new homeowner and investor Matthew Everly of Melbourne arrived at Cherie Down Lane in Cape Canaveral to inspect and change the locks on a home he purchased the day before at a real estate auction.

Everly, who since has repaired the home and sold it, told investigators he entered the residence through the garage, noted the Silver Nova and then spent about 20 minutes inside home before returning to to the garage.

That's when he looked into the car, saw the remains and called the sheriff's office.

"I was just about done changing the locks and was talking to some of the neighbors outside about how she just disappeared," Everly said. "The neighbors couldn't understand where she went and there were a lot of theories being thrown around."

Homicide agents said it appeared that Kunzweiler had been sleeping in her car. There was a sheet and pillow on the back seat and a partially burned candle on the center console.

They learned that she had not used electricity since Aug. 16, 2009 — a full 15 months before she was discovered — about three weeks after she contacted the Sheriff's Office to complain that her neighbors and ex-husband had tampered with her vehicle and disabled it.

Deputies noted there had been no criminal mischief to her vehicle, only that it did not start. They also noted in the report that she appeared to suffer from mental illness.

The investigators learned Kunzweiler was receiving disability benefits based on her mental disorder and found documents that described her condition as causing her to become reclusive and fearful of going outdoors.

Deputies had been called to the home in March by a distant relative who had been contacted by the mortgage company, Wells Fargo, about missed payments.

They reported seeing no sign of a break-in and checked the windows for bugs that might indicate a death inside. On April 5, Wells Fargo took control of the home and sent a contractor to take photos and do an inspection.

The bank then hired a property management firm to look after the property, and monthly visits and inspections started in May. A company representative told investigators he took photos of the car, but never saw the remains.

Everly said he drove by the townhouse to inspect the exterior before going to auction, where the home was for sale.

"If the outside is trashed, then you can pretty much expect the inside to be trashed as well," he said, adding that he later found that only the upstairs bedrooms showed evidence of hoarding. "It wasn't that bad. I've seen worse."

Agents speculate that Kunzweiler was sleeping in her car to "investigate" her belief that someone was tampering with it.

Investigators were confident the body found was Kunzweiler's, but without medical or dental records, they had to perform a DNA tests.

They found an out-of-state maternal relative, and the DNA was a match.

"Due to (Kunzweiler's) limited communications with others and limited movement in and around the home," agent Buggs said, "she did not create a recognized pattern that would be obvious if it were to change."