In May of 1998, in the small town of Romeo, Michigan, a crew of detectives found themselves

knee deep in a hoarder's nest.

The whole house was littered with trash, greasy, paper bags, and half-empty cups of soda

were collected on every surface.

Test strips hung from the ceiling collecting flies.

The floor was so cluttered with garbage, you couldn't see the carpet that was once creamy

and pristine.

Splattered on top of all the clutter and trash were ketchup drippings.

There was an obscene amount of ketchup smeared over the entire home.

With each step into the layers of trash on the floor, the detectives wondered what mysterious

noise would pop under their feet.

The squish of an old hamburger, a cat, a small dog perhaps.

After all, the people living here shared this mess with their seven pets.

The Macomb County detectives trudged through the sea of clothes, feces, trash, and children's

toys.

The smell was overwhelming, like animal urine and expired milk.

All mixed up into a tasty concoction.

How were they expected to find anything in this mess?

Suddenly, one of the detectives called out from the backyard.

He'd found something in the shed.

Shining his flashlight into the darkness of the mess, he pointed to his discovery.

Plastic bag, filled with bloody clothes and chunks of blonde hair.

...