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Tag: hoarder

  • Kelly Ripa: Might She Be A Hoarder?

    Kelly Ripa might have a bit of ‘hoarder blood’ in her genes. She and husband Mark Consuelos, along with their three children–Michael, 17, Lola, 13, and Joaguin, 11–are moving, and the Live With Kelly and Michael host is having a tough time letting some things go.

    The family is presently moving out of their apartment in New York City, and Kelly Ripa says the ordeal is a “bit of a nightmare.” Of course no one likes to move, but when there are kids and moms involved, all sorts of things–and the issues surrounding them–come out of the proverbial woodwork when the packing ensues.

    “Mark likes to throw everything away, and I want to save everything for when the kids are older one day,” Kelly said during a recent interview with Vanity Fair magazine. “So, you know, they have their things, like their first report card, so it’s a constant struggle as to what we should toss versus what we should save.”

    “For some reason, I have a crib and a stroller and a Pack ’n Play, and a little kitchen,” she added, as she reminisced about some items she clearly had hung on to for years.

    It certainly doesn’t sound like Kelly Ripa is a hoarder. Hoarders let things pile up to dangerous levels–often living in filth and very unhealthy conditions. And after all, Kelly says she still has a reason for holding on to these things.

    “Right now, basically, David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris’ kids come over and play with everything,” she said. “Like, that’s what it’s there for, just to get them to bring the kids over.”

    And face it–everyone loves having little children around.

    Moving stinks. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are finding that out first hand. And while it often does mean letting go of some things, it also opens doors to new experiences. And from those new experiences come new things to stash–not hoard–in a brand new, uncluttered (at least for now) space.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Hoarder Dies After Floor Collapses

    According to police, a 66-year-old Connecticut woman was found dead after the first floor of her home collapsed into the basement.

    The woman, who has been identified as Beverly Mitchel, was found on Saturday, two days after a postal worker had requested that a welfare check be performed due to her mail continuing to pile up.

    Police Sgt. Kevin O’Donnell said that officers arrived at the home on Thursday, but did not find anyone and assumed that no one was home. They noticed the first floor was covered with piles and pile of debris, but it wasn’t until Friday that they realized that the first floor had collapsed.

    After assuring that the building was safe to enter, the police cut a hole in the side of the home and started removing debris with backhoe. After the piles of debris were removed, the police discovered Beverly’s body under a pile of clutter.

    This was not the first time that police had been sent on a welfare check to Mitchel’s home. They had responded several times over the years when concerned neighbors and relatives would contact them. Each time they offered to help Beverly and even offered to get her help from the social service experts. However, Beverly refused to admit her problem or to receive any help. O’Donnell said that the police never realized the severity of the hoarding until they entered the home on Thursday.

    “It’s unfortunate because … we’ve tried all along to get her assistance, but she was a very private and solitary lady,” O’Donnell said in a statement on Sunday.

    The police are currently trying to locate Beverly’s family members to notify them of her death.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Depressed Goat Reunites With Burro Friend [VIDEO]

    In a heartwarming story that will show you just how strong the emotional bond between animals can be, a depressed goat ended his hunger strike after being reunited with his burro friend.

    That probably sounds more like the twisted plot of the next Disney or DreamWorks animated film than a real story, but workers at the Animal Place sanctuary witnessed this event just a week ago.

    To backtrack a little, earlier this year dozens of animals were removed from a hoarder’s residence. A goat named Mr. G and a burro named Jellybean were two of the animals that were retrieved. After living together for around ten years, the rescued goat and burro were placed in different sanctuaries, and it quickly became obvious that the goat was depressed. According to Animal Place, a sanctuary in northern California, Mr. G “refused to eat” and “spent his days lying in a corner of his stall, barely lifting his head.”

    Check out the depressed goat below.

    Mr. G went four days without eating before officials decided to reunite the depressed goat with his friend Jellybean. After the decision was made, it took three days to get the animal duo back together again.

    Check out a video of the depressed goat and burro reuniting below–don’t forget to grab a few tissues to have on hand for when the waterworks inevitably begin.

    As you saw in the video, it didn’t take long at all for Mr. G to end his hunger strike after being reunited with his best friend. As if seeing the goat being lifted from his depression after seeing his friend Jellybean wasn’t enough, the two animals later shared food from the same bowl. If your eyes didn’t mist over at a minimum at that point, then your heart might be on par with the Grinch’s before the people of Whoville got to him.

    No surprise there, but the video has stirred up some very strong emotions on Twitter.

    Officials at Animal Place have decided to keep both Mr. G and Jellybean as “permanent residents” at the sanctuary. Hopefully the once depressed goat will get to hang out with his burro friend for years to come.

    Image via YouTube

  • Woman Missing Since 1985 Found Buried in Home Wall

    In 1985, JoAnn Nichols, a 55-year-old elementary school teacher in Poughkeepsie, New York went missing. Her husband, James Nichols, filed a missing persons report. Police searched and investigated for years. But there was no sign of JoAnn Nichols.

    In December of last year, James Nichols died of natural causes at the age of 82. The home he had shared with JoAnn was now vacant, and a contractor was called in to clean out the house. What he discovered has blown the case back into the headlines and shocked the town of Poughkeepsie.

    A local ABC News affiliate reports that James Nichols is described by neighbors as an “intense” man, a hoarder. The contents of the house he left behind bear that out. The contractor that was called in to haul things out had his hands full. Then he discovered, in the basement, behind loads of debris, a wall in the house that should not have been there – a false wall. Behind that wall he found a sealed container. And inside that container he found the long-dead remains of JoAnn Nichols.

    Did James kill his wife, seal her up in that wall, hoard and pile loads of junk around her body for years, then die in that house? Did he get away with murder?

    JoAnn Nichols’ body was positively identified by the county medical examiner through dental records. He also determined that she had been killed by blunt force trauma. There is still no word on who killed her. But with James Nichols now dead, anything he knew about the case is likely going to the grave with him, unless there are any kinds of clues written in all those piles of debris that James piled around his dead wife’s body.