Woman’s death was not reported for more than three weeks

On Nov. 7, Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home on the 800 block of N. Conklin Road after receiving a phone call from a third party of suspicious circumstances that required the police to conduct a welfare check on a 79-year-old Orion Township woman.

The woman’s 53-year-old daughter had allegedly been acting unusual after posting online that her mother had passed away. Acquaintances of the family became suspicious after not hearing of a funeral for the deceased mother.

Once at the residence, deputies were unable to get an answer at the door and began interviewing neighbors who confirmed they had not seen the mother recently, according to police reports.

While deputies were investigating, the daughter came out from the home and admitted that her mother was deceased inside the home.

Deputies entered the home and confirmed the death. Detectives and an investigator from the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene to continue with the investigation.

The daughter told detectives that her mother had died in her sleep in the home on Oct. 16 but was overwhelmed by the death and was not emotionally prepared to deal with the death nor make the appropriate notifications as required by law, the report states.

The medical examiner’s office took custody of the deceased and an autopsy was completed, ruling that the death was of natural causes and that the woman had underlying medical conditions.

The daughter was transported to the hospital for a medical and mental health evaluation and the case will be reviewed for possible criminal charges, police said.

— By Megan Kelley