All of that aside I am curious what the "corpses" were like. The story says they were embalmed and I have seen bodies of Saints who never decomposed but what was Jean living with? Won't the corpses at some point continue to deteriorate? The whole thing is sad really. It could happen to any of us who outlive our loved ones.

I worked as Superintendent of a graveyard.I have exhumed bodies.The embalming helps prevent decomposition however the fluids do "leak" so there are issues with the fluids and shriveling.Also the embalming fluid is hazardous.The fumes in a closed area are very bad. However the bodies do not appear as bad as one would fear.

Really, to some degree, no more macabre then having an urn full of ashes in your house. And yes there can be disease and/or chemical issues but same with trash or getting vegetables with e coli. Apparently she DID not get sick or get anyone else sick. Doubt criminal charges would change anything. She's 91 and just lost her husband and sister AGAIN. Probably won't live much longer anyhow.

Was this affecting anyone else? If not, it's her personal business and no one else's.

I'm glad to see sympathetic (or at least understanding) comments being left about this poor lady. Loneliness is a terrible thing to endure, and everyone deals with death differently. What she did is no more macabre or disgusting than people having open-casket viewings or cremating their dead.

Death is what it is, and people even get their dead pets taxidermied all the time. Though I think the resulting objects are a bit on the uncanny side, that's just my own take on them, and I pass no judgment on others for doing so. And this woman didn't even have her husband and sister taxidermied, at least. She just let them be as they were, and if their presence brought her comfort, so be it. I think she did absolutely nothing wrong.

Thank you, Waterdog, my feeling exactly. She wasn't in a business that involved the public. She lived alone. Why did the officials decide it was their business and WHO snitched her out?

This brings tears to my eyes for that dear lady.

With respect to issues of sanitation and potential health risks, provided there was no revolting odors eminating from the house, it wouldn't bother me at all if she chose to live alongside her deceased loved ones and care for their corpses. I'm sure that in a more densely populated neighborhood, it might be more problematic. However, they were buried in HER backyard so what's the big deal?

As to her psyche, I find it amazing that someone could compartmentalize their views and feelings about death to that degree so as to ignore it altogether. That would make for some interesting psychological studies!!! That's one HELLA developed ability to live in denial, and she obviously isn't freaked out by the whole skeletons, bones and ghosts thing. I couldn't handle it! Heck, I won't even hang my foot off the side of the bed at night; preferring, instead, to keep it beneath the impenetrable barrier of my 300 thread count sheets JUST IN CASE!

This is ONE woman I'd like to meet! She's GOT to be one VERY interesting person!!!

This lady needs psychological help. It must be tough to be the only one left. I feel for her and I hope she gets help coping with the grief because in my opinion, her actions are grief.

Did you ever see that film with Nicole Kidman where she's dead but doesn't know it? - THE OTHERS- I was reminded of that film while reading the article.

I'm leaving now because I'm certain some people will go off on this poor lady and I won't take part in that.

I agree with those comments saying to leave her be. Nor do I think she needs psychological help. Sixty years married to the same person is a life, a way of being. There is no other life when you are together with someone so long. I lost my husband last year, and wanted to bury him in the backyard. He actually had said that he wished he could be buried in our yard. Not so strange, family plots on property is not uncommon. I wanted him to be near me, so I could go out and talk to him, even argue with him. I understand her, though I would not exhume my husband. Just have him closer to me by being in the yard, than in the local cemetery. BYW, I have an acre and I'm in my fifties. I understand this kind of deep, undying love. For the naysayers--it does exist.

It's one thing to be buried in the back yard. But to exhume them and bring them in the house IS a health hazard. Not just to her but to the people who come over to help with (with the shopping and yard work). What if there is an emergency and EMTs or firefighters need to come in the house? That could be a health hazard to them as well. I see why the corpses needed to be removed. That's not to say I don't feel for her, because I do, but she obviously needs a psych evaluation. Talking to dead people is just not normal.

I talk to dead people all the time. A lot of people do. There is nothing wrong or abnormal about that. The only difference is that we either talk to their spirit that we may or may not actually feel around us or we visit their grave or the urn we keep their ashes in (which is often in our homes). It's semantics, really. So she dug them up and kept them in her house... which is more sane? Talking to people who aren't there or talking to people who are even though they're dead? I think this poor woman, like so many others of her generation, are lonely and have been forgotten and abandoned by their living family. It happens all the time. And that's our fault.

There are cultures where the deceased continually lives with the family. They die, they rot, etc. But the family always holds those who have gone before them in high esteem. Some even continue to talk to the dead as if they had never died. It isn't always shown in the same way, but in every culture family or loved ones who have died are viewed with some sort of respect. If Jean's husband and sister had been cremated, this would never have happened. The problem the government has with Jean is that she illegally disinterred her husband and sister. Then their bodies, with the hazardous chemicals inside them, were in the home where the chemicals could have harmed either Jean or someone else who entered the home (such as a fireman during a fire). And after all that, she had people coming and going who knew about it all and said nothing to the government--imagine the consternation of bureaucrats who are not told such juicy and titillating gossip! There may have been ways Jean could have gone to avoid such brouhaha, but she was probably in such a state of grief and denial as to never think of them. We all wish we could live with our loved ones forever, but the longer you live, the more loved ones you'd have and it would be a never ending cycle to deny death. They say only the good die young, but really it's only good to die first and avoid the pain of separation. If we have the Right to Life, it is only fair we have the Right to Death. But then again they say that life begins at ... 40...50...60...etc!

"To be or not to be..."

I say the cops should leave her alone and drop any potential charges. She's old, lonely, and lost the 2 people in the world she loved the most. Obviously she's not killer crazy and was doing and sick twisted things to the bodies, she was just talking to them and trying to take care of them as she would if they were still alive. shes just lonely and afraid she watched the people she loved suffer and she was helpless to prevent their pain or make them better. Leave her alone technically they belong to her and helpfully the cops and her can come to an compromise. Like for example Keeping them in a permanetly sealed coffin with a glass window so she can see them and leave them in her home this way it's sanatary and she still get to keep them with her

I agree with you the family structure has really changed. I think that the problem is that with each generation there is less respect, compassion and appreciation for the older generation. I am 50 and I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and I am a better person because of it. I now teach my grandchildren the same values that they taught me and they may not use all of the advice but I know for a fact that they will remember my words. I could not personally do this but I do not judge her for what she has done, she is from another generation where they unselfishly took care of their family and they didn't fear being around the body of a loved one as many often do.

Karen in Los Angeles,

You said she needs psychological help. However, most peoples' fears of death, corpses, and, as one person even mentioned, ghosts and hanging his feet off the side of the bed at night, have come from watching movies. Tell me that peoples' formation of entire systems of belief based on movies isn't indicative of needing psychological help. That this woman obviously didn't give in to such impressions from popular media tells me she just might be at least a tad more sane than the vast majority of us and, as such, not in nearly as much need of psychological help as we are.

Of course, considering all the posts you leave on articles regarding gay rights, I'm not at all surprised that you were so quick to pass negative judgment on the woman in this story. You're clearly the kind of woman who leaves no stone unthrown.

sounds like a rare case of; Unimagineable Love..authorities s/b helpful, sanitizing and letting her keep her Loved Ones till she passes on..my heart bleeds for this person, God Love You Dear............

There are some that feel sticking their nose in things that are none of their business gives them a certain superiority .Wrong. A busy body is a busy body.

I talk to my loved ones that have gone a lot . We grieve in different ways .My nephew jokes that when he watches a ball game,he sits his Dad in the recliner next to him ( His Urn)

Another thing, just because some do some strange things at times, does not automatically need to be phycoanalized although some that tend to be busy bodies may need to be.

My you stay strong dear one.

oldgirl, I have been married for 62 years to the same man. If he would die I would expect his remains to be buried in our cemetery plot and left there! I may be lonely, but I'm not demented. Perhaps loneliness can hasten an elderly person with dementia. She needs psychological help, and if that isn't sufficient perhaps she needs to be removed from her home and placed elsewhere.

Senior, just maybe you never had the same kind of love that she had. Just the way you worded your comment leads me to believe that. She knew exactly what she was doing and it gave her comfort. LEAVE HER BE! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS! She was not hurting anyone and those who knew her best, did not judge her. It took one of her husband's busybody relatives to turn her in. That same relative is probably waiting for something to happen to her so they can see what they can get. Shame on them!

Hey Wayne, why do you have to make everything political? You throw liberal around like the "N" word. You're the one trying to FORCE your views on others. Just give your opinion without having to label everyone and everything.

I sure hope you mean in a non-sexual way!

Judas, I'm putting you on ignore. What a rude thing to say in a comment thread about a dear older lady.

He said that about a dog, not the old lady. Or are you calling the old lady a dog? How rude.

Some type of charges are likely. Otherwise, how do authorities "TEACH" us!! But seriously, I'm certain she will undergo some very extensive psychological analysis, and even more certain she will be "encouraged" to enter a old folks home for "good quality care." If not already seriously hurting from the second loss of her beloved husband and sister and further stressed by the criminal investigation, she'll soon begin to show the signs and lose her will to live. THAT, my friends, would be a great tragedy!!

RUN JEAN, RUN!!!!

Grammar-phobe,

I know what you mean about being afraid of being the LAST to die. I was thinking about that a couple of days ago. How awful to have all those who you love go before you and then be left alone. I too am scared of that. We are probably normal....at least I like to think that I am.

You are a very dear person, Cindy...(I also live in central Texas)

Grammarphobe

I know how you feel. The death of a parent is life's worst experience for most people.

I've had the same dream and it was the loneliest experience one could imagine. I don't want to be last either.

Her behavior may not be normal, but her feelings are understandable. I hope things improve for her now that people are aware of her situation.

I feel for this sweet lady, she did find a way to cope with her loss, god bless her. That said, I have worked for 16 years with individuals struggling with complicated grief issues and loneliness. When individuals outlive the people they love the most in this world...they are not alone... people leave us all the time. Some bless our lives for a short while, others are a gift to us for many years. Some leave us through death, others leave because we push them away, or we choose to leave... no one is ours to keep forever. We all have the ability to create new relationships, I see this on a daily basis. What creates loneliness and the lack of new relationships is the habit of withdrawing and waiting for new relationships to come to us. It is quite possible that this little lady could end up in a retirement home & her life blossom for the first time in years....I do encourage people to learn how to practice & develop their social skills -vs- living their lives saying "this is way I've always been" as an excuse to stop learning and developing.

I understand that feeling of being afraid to be the last to die. I am the eldest woman in my family, and my two baby half sisters died young. My father was the eldest in his family and outlived his two younger brothers. I am terrified of being the last one standing.But, you know, I have had the good fortune to have dreamed good dreams of both of my parents after they passed. It was like a visit. I was 'Daddy's girl'. My father was my hero, and his death was very hard for me to accept. A couple of months after my father died, I was beginning to lose the sound of his voice in my memory. One afternoon I sat in my chair between waking and dozing and I heard very clearly Papa answering a question from someone about what were his daughters' names. In his clear deep Italian voice, he replied "Maddalena and Rose Marie", our names (he even trilled the 'r's in my sister's name.) I had always asked him when we talked about it that if he passed before me, he would let me know that he was still around. For me this was his way of doing that. A few years later, I was facing a crisis at work. I had discovered that my postion in the place where I had worked for 33 years was being eliminated before I was supposed to know, so I couldn't tell anyone. I had a difficult time coping and keeping my composure every day. I think I was close to breaking down. One morning just before I was fully awake, I had another dream. I was in my living room preparing to leave for work. Papa walked in. We didn't say anything to each other, he just gave me a hug. From then on, I was able to continue to the end of my job in a more serene frame of mind.

Jean, my dear lady, in one way or another, your sister and your husband do go on. May you be blessed with the warmth of their continuing presence in your life. As Elizabeth Kubler-Ross once said, "Death ends life; it does not end relationships." God bless you.

I know exactly how you feel, after my Mother died, I think I became numb to it all... I had already had my father , a brother, and a sister die. Plus many really close friends. They hurt so bad, I cried forever,,, but when Mother died, I just became numb.and it has been years and I still feel the same, The pain with her death is still with me always. I am not afraid to die, I can go now to be with all of them.

If you stop and think about it...this is really no more sick than having an urn with your relatives ashes sitting on your fireplace mantel.

Yeah! What's the difference, psychologically speaking, that is??? We do it with our dear animal children and no one questions our sanity. I love my Great Dane too much to EVER have her out of my sight, so I had her cremated. So there she sits on my fireplace mantle in her lovely container with her name engraved on it. . .I talk to her everyday and I cry because I miss her every SINGLE day. It's been 5 years as of 8/8!!!

You know that her twin was a part of her and a long marriage would bring the partners extremely close. My heart aches for her and I hope she finds the long-awaited peace and love when she is ready.

I'm wondering about the public reaction if a 90+ year-old man were accused of keeping the remains of his wife and child in the house.

In away I agree..it was a bond of love for both..and she just couldn't let them go..so sad but I don't think it was so wrong at her age.

What about 'his' family?

Do you still think they told the grandkids, "Come on, we're going to grandma and grandpa's house!" on the weekend?

Shhhh. Quiet around grandpa, he sleeping.

Sam, I'm with you. Don't waste taxpayer time and money prosecuting her...let her be.

Judas...you're a nut! The article didn't mention grandchildren...maybe, just maybe, she's lonely?

I agree 100%. She harmed no-one and should have been left with what comfort she could find with her loved ones.

Except herself. She is mentally unbalanced and needs to be placed somewhere.

Except herself. She is mentally unbalanced and needs to be placed somewhere

Death takes her family, now take away her freedom? Just shows you lack empathy.

You know Rocky, considering that athiests and other folks like yourself want your views tolerated by others even though you only make up about 2% of the population. You pretty much just pissed away possibility of giving you the same tolerance you and your ilk beg for.

It is your non-tolerant view that is sick and disgusting.

Go easy on the religious people, guy. Just pat them on their dreamy little heads and send them on their way. No need to be disrespectful.. You're just making the rest of us non-Xtians look bad...

Rocky, think about for a second... there was nothing wrong with allen wishes. If you believe in God you must know that God promises to spent eternity by his side and love ones if we follow his commandments. It does not matter who, or what we had done as long as we repent. God bless you.

OK, wait a minute...I am Agnostic and do NOT agree with Rocky's viewpoint, but saying that our "ilk" is only 2% is wishful thinking. Currently, the number are around 15% and rising (compared to the early 1990's stats of 8%) If we included those that consider themselves "religious", (enter whatever denomination you'd like), for only the sake of "covering all the bases", but they however are NOT actual believers or practicers, the number actually skyrockets. Rocky and the Mad American are about equal in their tolerance. And as a side note, not meaning for this to sound rude at all, but saying "God bless you" to an aethiest is also being snide, intolerant and disrespectful. You have full knowledge that it's against their belief system and yet you insist on saying it to them in a note of superiority. If you really mean it, say a silent prayer for them. That hurts no one.

That being said, I hope this sweet lady receives what she really needs, which is companionship and compassion. What a tragic and heartbreaking story.

Jen-912751 wants Christians to be silenced ("say a silent prayer for them"), tough luck princess, we're here, we're saved, and we're not going away,

God bless you, you anti-religious bigot. Why don't you go silent?

My brother died in 94 (he was 37); he trusted Christ and I believe that I will see and hug him again when I die or Christ returns. I look forward to that day and it gave me real comfort when he died. Otherwise, if death is truly the end, I can see how someone could dig up their loved ones, especially if you are 91 and lonely.

BetterThanYou:

Glad to see you don't take your moniker too seriously, since you certainly are not acting better than anyone! Jen didn't say anything that suggests she wants to silence Christians. She merely suggested that non-believers be given a bit of courtesy that hurts no one. Refraining from deliberately and belligerantly foisting one's views on them does not in any way prevent one from expressing/sharing them with whomever else cares to hear them. Furthermore, agnostics believe in a supreme being, but not one that is involved in human affairs. That does not make all of them "anti-religious;" one need not ascribe to a particular belief in order to NOT oppose it. It's called a "live and let live" philosophy. Unless you ARE one of the people Jen mentions who intentionally uses his/her faith as a social battering ram, then Jen's comment shouldn't upset you. And it is hardly grounds for being called a bigot. Yours, however, reeks of intolerance and venom!

Jen 912751,

don't be offended when someone offers you a good wish in the best way they know how. "I say 'God bless you" without meaning any insistence that you believe in God. I do, and I am wishing you something good from Him or Her. When I say that to someone, I don't ask their religious beliefs or lack thereof. It's just a way of wishing them well.

People don't need to be so darned touchy.

Finally, I found someone who too believes in Christ and knows that with Christ eternal life is a guarantee! Go Jesus!

angelosdaughter:

Jen specifically aimed her comment at people who "have full knowledge that it's against their belief system." I got from this that she is not "being touchy" over an innocent well wisher's words. I know people like Jen references, and they do indeed throw their faith in the faces of non-believers. I even had one acquaintance (not by choice, believe me), who insisted on saying to the Jews we worked with "Christ be with you." Her attitude and intentions were, as Jen says, to demonstrate her "superiority" over the "heathens" who haven't been "saved." she remains a bigot par excellence, although thankfully I am no longer subjected to her venom. I have strong faith in my god, but I don't feel compelled to foist my belief on others. I tend to my own soul and let them tend to theirs.

When does the bus leave?

Thank you, BetterThankYou, for being a shining example to every intelligent individual as to what's wrong with so many religious zealots. I bet you don't even see the irony... *sigh*

And thank you to all the religious folks that actually get that we can all coexist quite nicely together. :-)

Why do your dreams bother you? I dream of my dad all the time like he was still alive and I totally dig it. You should welcome those dreams and enjoy thm.

Listen to her voice! It's the only place you will hear it now, and rejoice that you still have that. My mother passed in May of 1986, and I still speak with her in my dreams. It gives me great comfort. Do not be afraid to love, be afraid of not being able to feel love. "REJOICE, for in Me all things are possible."

Just a note: When I was using, I had just finished shooting the load in my arm, and still had NOT taken the needle out. My mother "appeared" to me and asked, " Do you really understand what you are doing to yourself?" Then she disappeared.

That was September 5, 1989, and I still have not touched anything illegal other than pot since. SHE saved my life that day, as I know I'd be dead is that had not happened. Now you can understand why I say "REJOICE"

Fantastic post, jmc.

Maybe you think so, but I do not! If she wants her sister and husband with her, then have their remains cremated and placed in urns the normal way.

There was a time, and in fact there are still many people who believe this, when cremation and placing ashes on your mantle was considered just as abnormal as this situation. Many cultures would still be horrified by the idea that we, as westerners, bury our dead in some random field miles away from our homes and leave their care to strangers. While I don't envision myself doing the same things this woman did, I don't stand in judgment of her for trying, in her own way, to keep her family members close to her.

The irony in telling anyone to "be normal" is that that state of "normalcy" only applies for a certain amount of time, as the actual idea of what constitutes normality changes over time. For example, we very rarely hold the wake/funeral in our own homes now, or bury our loved ones in a family plot in the back yard, even though that was once standard practice.

you are on ignore now, elyucki.

I'm and 80 year old senior, and I wouldn't try to do what she got by with. She needs to be in the looney bin, as you say. I know I would expect to be in a mental institution.

Senoir . . . I don't understand your insistance that this lady is nuts . . . I see that you have been with your husband for a long time too . . . wait until he passes and see what you think. Normal is not all that it's cracked up to be. And what is normal to you is not normal to her. Try to see that other people may have a different perspective.

She is 91 years old..she lost her life twice from the ones she loved most to live for.

That pal you would never understand!

Sir, I do understand. When you watch the person you love the most in the world go down in a hail of bullets, it sucks the life right out of you. I've layed it to rest properly, unlike this woman.

Rocky ... Funny how you bash someone for a religious comment about 10 posts up then you use the phrase "Good Lord" in this post...hypocrite

This lady has some deep seeded psychological issues. You shouldn't need a corpse to fill a void in your life. Shouldn't have a cadaver for company.

An embalmed body is not immune to decomposition. It is still decomposing, albeit at a significantly reduced rate.

Rocky get a grip!this a very unusual situation.she couldn't let go so stop judging this lady..

people keep ashes of loved ones in their house i suppose that's sick too.this wasn't done out of demnetia or being psychotic. it was done out of LONELINESS!try it sometime, see how it feels.that is one of the worst things any human being can go through.especially at 91,these two people were all she had and loved, so back off and stop being judgementle.

You can read right through Rocky. he is not an athiest as he does not really understand what an athiest or a Christian is. he just likes to make crazy comments to see if he can get people to respond to him. Leave Rocky alone. he obviously has some issues....

Nothing Rocky. We have the right to our opinion, just as you have the right to yours. Just remember what peace there may be in silence, and I am sure you'll be alright.

Want to get my "2 cents worth" in: Remember folks, we're dealing with a 91 year old with YEARS of memories:of a marriage of prob. over 60 -70 years (that's LOTS of time\ lots of memories to deal with- to think back over) ; TWINS often have a "PSYCHIC CONNECTION to EACH OTHER AS WELL!! When 1 Physically\ Emotionally\Mentally,etc. HURTS\is IN PAIN; has something "BAD"\ "Wrong" happen to them~ the other 1 may\will AUTOMTICALLY know\"FEEL" the pain\ "experience"!That May sound "crazy": but, it does happen between people who r xtremely "close" to1 another"!This Twin may still b feeling the pain of her sisters' cancer; & her intense feelings of claustraphobia may trigger panic attacks,where she may feel that she can't breathe-helps lead her to thinkhow can she help her sister to "breathe"if she's "trapped" underground~ that's why she had her dug up~ so they could "BOTH BREATHE"!!{If her sister can "breathe-- so can SHE!}Thank you

Robbie, I'm an 80 year old senior, and what this 91 year old did was bizarre. She needs to be placed somewhere. I know I would want to be institutionalized if my actions toward my husband of 62 years occur when he passes like she has done. She is no longer accountable and dementia has taken over.

Robbie has a point with the sister. I also have an identical twin. She was with her twin for 90 years!! That sounds to me like an unbearable loss! I dread that day for my sister and I. This woman need companionship and sympathy, not pulic officials making her remianing years harder.

Senior, I feel really badly for you, because you're condemning this woman for doing something you think was "weird." And, yes, it was odd behavior, but we ALL do things others would consider odd, and I would think that someone of your age would have a different perspective in on this in a society where ANY odd thing an elderly person does is suddenly looked at as the onset of dementia or time to go to "the home," rather than just a manifestation of our typical individual eccentricities.

I live alone, and as a result, i talk to my cats a lot, mainly to hear my own voice when the house is too quiet. I'm fortunate because I'm 35, and this is just "odd." I dread the day that i am 85 and some "well-meaning individual" expresses his "concern" and decides its time for me to go to "the home" because I wander around talking to my pets.

Of course, if I was 85 and spent my days talking to God, that would just be viewed as being "pious." So what we consider "normal" has a great deal to do with our cultural definitions and individual interpretations.

I hope you never have the experience of someone standing in judgment of you the way you are standing in judgment of this woman.