Decomposing Bodies of Mom and Adult Son Found in N.Y.C. After Neighbors Reported Foul Smell Coming from Apartment

A mom and son were found dead in their New York City apartment long after they’d last been seen by neighbors.

An 80-year-old woman and a man, 52, were found dead in the apartment on Jay Street on Wednesday, Nov. 12, after police were called to conduct a wellness check just before 1 p.m. local time, according to a press release from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) that was obtained by PEOPLE. Neither have been publicly identified.

The grim discovery was made after residents called police to report a foul odor coming from the residence, according to ABC affiliate WABC-TV and New York Daily News.

They were both found “unconscious and unresponsive” and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.

The individuals appeared to be mummified when they were found, The New York Post reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The mother, who is believed to have died first, was in an advanced stage of decomposition, according to WABC-TV and the Daily News. 

Both she and her son reportedly seemed to have been dead for some time and neither victim showed signs of trauma.

Mireyda Reyes, one of the victim’s neighbors, said the mom was her neighbor for more than 25 years, according to WABC-TV.

Reyes said she had not seen the woman in about 10 years, though she could hear her in her apartment from time to time. About five months ago, she expressed concern to those who work at the apartment building.

“You have to come and check it out because there’s something not right there,” she recalled saying at the time.

The doorman for the apartment building told the New York Post he had not seen the woman’s son for about two or three weeks. He also said the son would take care of his mom.

However, Reyes claimed the son refused to let her see his mom, according to WABC-TV.

“He was the only one taking care of her, but he wouldn’t let me go in and see her,” the neighbor claimed.

One neighbor told the Post that the foul smell associated with the apartment had been coming in waves “for days.”

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“I just thought it was coming from the trash outside, but it got worse,” the neighbor recalled.

Police previously said no criminality is currently suspected in the case, according to the Post and Daily News.

An investigation into the case is ongoing, according to the NYPD. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner will determine the causes of death.