MERRIAM, KS (KCTV) -
A Johnson County mail carrier, concerned about someone on his route, called Merriam, KS, police who made a tragic discovery. They found a woman dead in her home and it looked like she had been there for a while.
Several of the neighbors KCTV5's Dave Jordan spoke with said the woman basically kept to herself and rarely left the house, but it ended up being a new neighbor on the block whose casual conversation with the mailman that lead to the grim discovery.
Brooke Alonzo just moved into her new home about three weeks ago and, in that short time, she noticed something strange about her new neighbor.
"We never saw any movement, any lights on. She never came out, nothing," she said.
Her husband didn't think much about the lack of activity next door.
"Our neighbors said she was elderly and she had a meal service that would bring her meals, so I just thought she was inside doing her thing," Josh Alonzo said.
But Brooke Alonzo wasn't convinced and shared her concerns with their mailman.
"(I told him) that I thought she had passed away," Brooke Alonzo said.
The mailman tipped off police who then came to the house Wednesday about 3 p.m. and found the woman dead inside. They believe she might have been there for some time.
"Hopefully it was natural causes," Brooke Alonzo said of her neighbor's death
Police have not released the victim's name because they're working to track down some of her relatives they believe live out of state. Authorities said they do not suspect foul play.
Another neighbor said the woman used to get meals delivered, but that those had stopped because of budget cuts. Calls were made to confirm that, but KCTV5 hasn't heard back regarding those calls yet.
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Photo Courtesy: KCTV5's Micah Bray
