WILMINGTON, N.C., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Authorities in New Hanover County, N.C., suspect the body of an 88-year-old woman found in a Wilmington home had been there for months.
A New Hanover County sheriff's deputy said Blanche Matilda Roth likely died inside the home last spring. Her body was discovered by authorities Tuesday after an anonymous call to authorities, the Wilmington Star-News reported.
Deputy Charles Smith said Roth's death was being treated as suspicious. The official cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, Smith added.
"We do not feel this is a random act," he said. "I was very surprised that this type of incident hasn't been reported before now."
The deputy told the Star-News caregivers had been living in Roth's home, but he could not specify Roth's relationship to those individuals.
Smith said the anonymous caller who contacted authorities said an elderly woman was unconscious and not breathing inside the home Tuesday.
