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New York Post
19-06-2025
- New York Post
Retired detective found dead in hoarding conditions in Connecticut, months after she went missing
Mary Notarangelo lived a reclusive life in her later years, according to the few people who had contact with her. The retired police detective tended to her many birds at her Connecticut home and posted videos of them on social media, including one accompanying her on a trip to a local crafts store. But a welfare check request to police last year uncovered disturbing truths. Mary Notarangelo was found dead inside her home, underneath a pile of debris. Glastonbury Police Department Hoarding conditions were found in her house in Glastonbury, just southeast of Hartford, when authorities tried to find her last July. It wasn't until February that a work crew using a small excavator discovered her skeletal remains. They were found beneath a pile of debris heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday. Glastonbury police said conditions in the single-family home set off a rural road in the woods were among the worst they've seen and hindered several search attempts over the months. Officers said there were 6-foot-tall 'mountains' of garbage blocking entrance doors. Dead birds were found in cages along with mice running about and a live cat. And there was a terrible stench. 'Once inside, I observed more mountains of garbage, cobwebs, and spiders,' Officer Anthony Longo wrote in the report. 'There was no path whatsoever. The only way to move from room to room was by climbing over the garbage.' Glastonbury police said conditions in the single-family home set off a rural road in the woods were among the worst they've seen and hindered several search attempts over the months. AP It's not clear how Notarangelo died. At 73, she was a retired Bridgeport police detective and longtime Wiccan, according to officials and friends. Her death was first reported by Hearst Connecticut Media earlier Wednesday. The state medical examiner's office said her cause of death could not be determined because the remains were mostly skeletal. A friend had called police to request the welfare check July 3, 2024. He told investigators Notarangelo last texted him around June 12, 2024, saying she was having abdominal cramps, vomiting and had fallen. It's not clear why the friend — who did not return phone and text messages — waited so long to call authorities. It's also not clear why it took seven months to find her remains, although several attempts had been made and officials cited the mounds of trash and other items. A police spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the timeline. 'It's so upsetting and so sad,' said another friend, Patti Steeves, who worked with Notarangelo at the Bridgeport Police Department as a civilian employee years ago. 'She, as quirky as she was, she was a good person at heart.' Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Steeves added: 'She was passionate about her faith. She was passionate about her job. She had a great sense of humor. And she loved her animals. She loved her animals more than she did herself.' Steeves said she tried to talk with Notarangelo about the hoarding, but Notarangelo wouldn't discuss it. She said Notarangelo was a 'bird fanatic' who had about 20 birds, including cockatoos, cockatiels and parrots, and a cat and a dog. Bridgeport police said Notarangelo worked there from 1985 to 1996. She was promoted to detective in 1992 and to sergeant a year later. Steeves said she retired on disability after an on-duty car crash that injured her back and legs. Notarangelo posted occasionally on her social media accounts, saying she was an animal lover and an 'intuitive & reiki master,' referring to the Japanese healing practice. She posted videos and photos of her birds, including a cockatoo perched on a shopping cart during her outing to a crafts store. Police and firefighters first searched the home on July 3, 2024, the day of the welfare check request but couldn't find her, citing hoarding piles as a major factor. They also sent a drone in the house, but it hit cobwebs and became disabled, police said. More searches, they said, were conducted on July 5, July 11, July 12 and Nov. 20. On Feb. 24, an environmental services crew arrived with a small excavator. Plywood was removed from the front door area and crews used the excavator to carefully remove the contents of the home through the opening. Notarangelo's remains were discovered within minutes, police said. An attorney was assigned to handle Notarangelo's estate in March. He did not return phone and email messages Wednesday. Relatives of Notarangelo, including her brother and niece, declined to comment.
18-06-2025
Retired detective found dead in hoarding conditions, months after she went missing
GLASTONBURY, Conn. -- Mary Notarangelo lived a reclusive life in her later years, according to the few people who had contact with her. The retired police detective tended to her many birds at her Connecticut home and posted videos of them on social media, including one accompanying her on a trip to a local crafts store. But a welfare check request to police last year uncovered disturbing truths. Hoarding conditions were found in her house in Glastonbury, just southeast of Hartford, when authorities tried to find her last July. It wasn't until February that a work crew using a small excavator discovered her skeletal remains. They were found beneath a pile of debris heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday. Glastonbury police said conditions in the single-family home set off a rural road in the woods were among the worst they've seen and hindered several search attempts over the months. Officers said there were 6-foot-tall (2-meter-tall) 'mountains' of garbage blocking entrance doors. Dead birds were found in cages along with mice running about and a live cat. And there was a terrible stench. 'Once inside, I observed more mountains of garbage, cobwebs, and spiders,' Officer Anthony Longo wrote in the report. 'There was no path whatsoever. The only way to move from room to room was by climbing over the garbage.' It's not clear how Notarangelo died. At 73, she was a retired Bridgeport police detective and longtime Wiccan, according to officials and friends. Her death was first reported by Hearst Connecticut Media earlier Wednesday. The state medical examiner's office said her cause of death could not be determined because the remains were mostly skeletal. A friend had called police to request the welfare check July 3, 2024. He told investigators Notarangelo last texted him around June 12, 2024, saying she was having abdominal cramps, vomiting and had fallen. It's not clear why the friend — who did not return phone and text messages — waited so long to call authorities. It's also not clear why it took seven months to find her remains, although several attempts had been made and officials cited the mounds of trash and other items. A police spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the timeline. 'It's so upsetting and so sad,' said another friend, Patti Steeves, who worked with Notarangelo at the Bridgeport Police Department as a civilian employee years ago. 'She, as quirky as she was, she was a good person at heart.' Steeves added: 'She was passionate about her faith. She was passionate about her job. She had a great sense of humor. And she loved her animals. She loved her animals more than she did herself.' Steeves said she tried to talk with Notarangelo about the hoarding, but Notarangelo wouldn't discuss it. She said Notarangelo was a 'bird fanatic' who had about 20 birds, including cockatoos, cockatiels and parrots, and a cat and a dog. Bridgeport police said Notarangelo worked there from 1985 to 1996. She was promoted to detective in 1992 and to sergeant a year later. Steeves said she retired on disability after an on-duty car crash that injured her back and legs. Notarangelo posted occasionally on her social media accounts, saying she was an animal lover and an 'intuitive & reiki master,' referring to the Japanese healing practice. She posted videos and photos of her birds, including a cockatoo perched on a shopping cart during her outing to a crafts store. Police and firefighters first searched the home on July 3, 2024, the day of the welfare check request but couldn't find her, citing hoarding piles as a major factor. They also sent a drone in the house, but it hit cobwebs and became disabled, police said. More searches, they said, were conducted on July 5, July 11, July 12 and Nov. 20. On Feb. 24, an environmental services crew arrived with a small excavator. Plywood was removed from the front door area and crews used the excavator to carefully remove the contents of the home through the opening. Notarangelo's remains were discovered within minutes, police said. An attorney was assigned to handle Notarangelo's estate in March. He did not return phone and email messages Wednesday.
Winnipeg Free Press
18-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Retired detective found dead in hoarding conditions in Connecticut, months after she went missing
GLASTONBURY, Conn. (AP) — Mary Notarangelo lived a reclusive life in her later years, according to the few people who had contact with her. The retired police detective tended to her many birds at her Connecticut home and posted videos of them on social media, including one accompanying her on a trip to a local crafts store. But a welfare check request to police last year uncovered disturbing truths. Hoarding conditions were found in her house in Glastonbury, just southeast of Hartford, when authorities tried to find her last July. It wasn't until February that a work crew using a small excavator discovered her skeletal remains. They were found beneath a pile of debris heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday. Glastonbury police said conditions in the single-family home set off a rural road in the woods were among the worst they've seen and hindered several search attempts over the months. Officers said there were 6-foot-tall (2-meter-tall) 'mountains' of garbage blocking entrance doors. Dead birds were found in cages along with mice running about and a live cat. And there was a terrible stench. 'Once inside, I observed more mountains of garbage, cobwebs, and spiders,' Officer Anthony Longo wrote in the report. 'There was no path whatsoever. The only way to move from room to room was by climbing over the garbage.' It's not clear how Notarangelo died. At 73, she was a retired Bridgeport police detective and longtime Wiccan, according to officials and friends. Her death was first reported by Hearst Connecticut Media earlier Wednesday. The state medical examiner's office said her cause of death could not be determined because the remains were mostly skeletal. A friend had called police to request the welfare check July 3, 2024. He told investigators Notarangelo last texted him around June 12, 2024, saying she was having abdominal cramps, vomiting and had fallen. It's not clear why the friend — who did not return phone and text messages — waited so long to call authorities. It's also not clear why it took seven months to find her remains, although several attempts had been made and officials cited the mounds of trash and other items. A police spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking comment about the timeline. 'It's so upsetting and so sad,' said another friend, Patti Steeves, who worked with Notarangelo at the Bridgeport Police Department as a civilian employee years ago. 'She, as quirky as she was, she was a good person at heart.' Steeves added: 'She was passionate about her faith. She was passionate about her job. She had a great sense of humor. And she loved her animals. She loved her animals more than she did herself.' Steeves said she tried to talk with Notarangelo about the hoarding, but Notarangelo wouldn't discuss it. She said Notarangelo was a 'bird fanatic' who had about 20 birds, including cockatoos, cockatiels and parrots, and a cat and a dog. Bridgeport police said Notarangelo worked there from 1985 to 1996. She was promoted to detective in 1992 and to sergeant a year later. Steeves said she retired on disability after an on-duty car crash that injured her back and legs. Notarangelo posted occasionally on her social media accounts, saying she was an animal lover and an 'intuitive & reiki master,' referring to the Japanese healing practice. She posted videos and photos of her birds, including a cockatoo perched on a shopping cart during her outing to a crafts store. Police and firefighters first searched the home on July 3, 2024, the day of the welfare check request but couldn't find her, citing hoarding piles as a major factor. They also sent a drone in the house, but it hit cobwebs and became disabled, police said. More searches, they said, were conducted on July 5, July 11, July 12 and Nov. 20. On Feb. 24, an environmental services crew arrived with a small excavator. Plywood was removed from the front door area and crews used the excavator to carefully remove the contents of the home through the opening. Notarangelo's remains were discovered within minutes, police said. An attorney was assigned to handle Notarangelo's estate in March. He did not return phone and email messages Wednesday. Relatives of Notarangelo, including her brother and niece, declined to comment.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CT higher education chief questioned at Capitol as Republicans seek his resignation for lavish spending
With Republicans and staff members calling for his resignation, a Connecticut college leader apologized Tuesday for lavish spending of taxpayer dollars that has prompted sharp criticisms. Terrence Cheng, the chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system, told lawmakers that his office is changing policies to ensure greater transparency in the use of state-paid purchasing cards that pay for expenses. 'I acknowledge that my actions have raised serious concerns about financial oversight and transparency,' Cheng told lawmakers at a special forum to review the spending. 'For this, I take personal responsibility, and I am extremely, extremely sorry. I also want to apologize to members of the General Assembly, who have consistently supported our system and our students. … For my part in this, I do sincerely apologize. … I recognize that trust is not just given. It has to be earned through action, and it cannot be earned simply through words.' State Rep. Lucy Dathan, a New Canaan Democrat, asked Cheng about the perception of spending for lavish meals at the same time that some hard-working students need access to food pantries. 'I think it looks bad,' Cheng responded to Dathan. 'I mean, I'm not sure how else to say it more elegantly than that. That is certainly something that I have to own as the leader of this system. When I make a mistake, I fess up to that mistake. Those were mistakes. Those were absolutely mistakes in that I did not take into consideration what the public perception of my actions might have been.' Cheng added, 'There was no nefarious intent. I can vow that I will not make those mistakes again. I simply will not make those mistakes again, and I say that in public, in testimony, and that is something that I will be held accountable for because ultimately if I as the leader of this organization don't have trust with you as our legislative leaders, if I don't have trust with my board, and if I don't have trust with our students, faculty and staff, then we're never going to make the progress that we must make.' Cheng, who is paid more than $440,000 per year, has been blasted by Republicans since last year when it was revealed that he had spent excessively on taxpayer-funded purchasing cards for expensive meals, dry cleaning, alcohol, room service, car washes, and limousine rides, despite having access to a state vehicle. Those revelations by Hearst Connecticut Media led to audits by the state comptroller, which was requested by Lamont, and the bipartisan auditors of public accounts. Some meals exceeded the state's $50-per-person limit, but the chancellor has discretion to go beyond the limit. 'This is not what our faculty, our staff, our students, our legislature deserve,' Cheng said. Rep. Gregory Haddad, a Storrs Democrat who co-chairs the higher education committee, said the revelations came at a difficult time as the higher education system faces tight budgets and tuition increases for students. The budget-writing appropriations committee has started holding public hearings, and the final budget compromise is expected to be reached before the legislative session ends in early June. 'Your system faces serious financial challenges,' Haddad said. 'Some of the expenses and expenditures were eyebrow-raising to some of us here. … This is a system that has never created the culture that we want to see.' Calls for resignation Republicans have complained that Lamont for months has not joined them in publicly calling for Cheng's resignation. Instead, Lamont says that some of the spending has been relatively minor, including that Cheng tipped too much on meals paid at taxpayers' expense. 'He's working hard,' Lamont told host Brian Schactman in a live radio interview Tuesday on WTIC-AM. 'You said he tips too much. That stuff is a misjudgment – not a big deal. I don't see the strategic change I need for the CSCU system to make sure it's relevant for jobs in the next 50 years. That's what I look at. That's my criteria for success. I still need to see those changes.' But House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford and Senate Republican leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield recently said that Lamont needs to take a stronger stance against Cheng. 'The governor continues to stand by the outrageously paid Chancellor Cheng, whose reckless spending on chauffeur services and lavish steak dinners is an insult to hard-working Connecticut families,' the Republicans said. 'Even more appalling, Chancellor Cheng pocketed $21,000 in moving expenses despite never relocating to Connecticut—yet the governor, most Regents, and Chancellor Cheng himself have offered nothing but a feeble and inadequate response. Restoring trust in the CSCU system must start with accountability, and that begins with Chancellor Cheng's resignation. We call on the governor to finally take a stand and demand new leadership.' After saying that he would move to Connecticut for the high-paid job under his contract, Cheng's family has continued to live over the border in New York state as he commutes to the job. Besides calls by Republicans for Cheng's ouster, the staff at the community colleges recently issued a vote of 'no confidence' by 31-2 by the system's Senate that represents the staff. State Comptroller Sean Scanlon told lawmakers at the forum Tuesday that the leaders of the higher education system 'should reside here in the state of Connecticut.' Scanlon also told lawmakers that changes must be made regarding the proper spending of tax dollars. 'I think there is certainly a culture issue,' Scanlon said. 'Leadership really matters.' Higher education committee Prompted by the controversy, two legislative committees held a joint forum Tuesday to review the level of spending of public dollars. 'We need to know that our resources are being used wisely,' said Sen. Derek Slap, a West Hartford Democrat who co-chairs the higher education committee. 'Even single one of these dollars is precious. … Do we have the right fiscal controls in place?' The comptroller's audit stated that Cheng spent $19,000 on meals during a period lasting more than three years on his state-issued purchasing card, known internally as a P-card. After the comptroller's report was released, Cheng said he intended to 'do better' in the future. 'I want to recognize publicly that the comptrollers' work was spurred by my own actions and even though they were taken on behalf of the system, I recognize that my intent did not match the impact and the perception and that falls on me,' Cheng said. 'That is my responsibility, and I will be held accountable for it. It is clear that my judgement in several instances was lacking, and I am going to do better. I feel terribly that my actions have distracted from the great work that our faculty and staff are doing to support our students.' History Controversy at CSCU is not new. Last year, Hartford Courant columnist Kevin F. Rennie reported that Cheng was making budget cuts at the same time that he was awarding large salary increases to central office administrators. Jessica Paquette had been earning $83,000 per year at UConn, but was boosted to $200,000 annually as vice chancellor for system affairs and chief of staff at CSCU. Another employee, Daniel Aniello, had been earning $111,000 at UConn before switching to the CSCU system at $200,000 per year. Adam Joseph, the vice chancellor for external affairs and a former chief spokesman for Lamont, is paid more than $220,000 per year. Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@
