A former doctor lived for nine months with the mummified remains of her 600-pound son — in “extreme-hoarding conditions” in their garbage-filled home infested with vermin, according to disturbing reports.
Police were alerted to the New Orleans house of Barbara Hainsworth, a former doctor whose license was revoked a decade ago, after repeated complaints from neighbors over odors and vermin, WDSU reported.
When cops finally entered, they found the horrific conditions — including a fully mummified body.
“That’s my son,” she allegedly told police of the remains confirmed to be her 31-year-old son Charles Hainsworth. “He died about nine months ago.”
The cause of death is still under investigation, Nola.com reported — with sources saying the dead son weighed at least 600 pounds.
Cops also found trash, chicken feces, holes in the floor, and said the house in the Lakeview neighborhood was overrun with flies and bugs, according to WDSU.
Barbara was referred to as a “mentally disabled elderly woman” in citations over her property, Nola.com reported.
The house of horrors was immediately condemned by code enforcement as a health hazard, according to the outlet.
“The Department of Code Enforcement investigation revealed horrific conditions, including the remains of a mummified male body and evidence of extreme hoarding conditions, along with mounds of trash in and around the property,” the City of New Orleans said in a statement to WDSU.
“The property was also scheduled to be boarded by the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD),” the statement continued.
On May 6, just one day before the agency became aware of the property’s negligent conditions, Hainsworth was fined $6,125, and the property was declared a public nuisance, per the outlet
A neighbor, who asked not to be named, told Nola.com they recognized Barbara and Charles Hainsworth as mother and son.
“When she walked around the neighborhood, she pushed this little baby stroller,” the neighbor said.
“And then she would come back with the baby stroller filled with junk and trash. It honestly looked like she would go through people’s alleyways and dig in their garbage cans,” they said.
Barbara was taken to a local hospital for treatment after a crisis evaluation, the outlet said.