Actually Scary, Indeed

As a rule, you pretty much keep to yourself. You're not close with your neighbors, but they see you come and go on extended business trips. A father a few houses down sends his son to mow the lawn once a week so the block looks well-tended.

Your home loan and utilities are paid on-time every month through auto-billing. The postman puts your mail, mostly junk, in the letter slot in your front door.

Your parents and most of your siblings have passed on or moved away, and when your remaining sister tries calling, the phone just rings. Your boss assumes you've gone on to greener pastures.

All is well until the bank account runs dry, and letters from your mortgage company go unanswered. A foreclosure sign goes up, an all too common occurrence in your rust belt community. The bank sends out a maintenance crew to fix a leaky roof noticed by the Realtor.

The handyman makes a grisly discovery, and after the police forensics unit removes your mummified body from the backseat of your Jeep, which is parked in the garage, the medical examiner determines that you've been dead for six years.

This is the sad story of Pia Farrenkopf, a resident of a quiet neighborhood in Pontiac, Michigan. If the findings are accurate, she would have been 43 years old when she died.

Neighbor Caitlyn Talbot told reporters, "She really kept to herself. We never really heard anything from her."

"I've been doing this 37 years. Never seen anything like this before," said Undersheriff Mike McCabe of Oakland County.

Initial observations showed no signs of foul play. Dental records were used for positive identification. It will take four to six weeks for a toxicology report, which authorities hope will point to cause of death.

The county sheriff explained that her body was inside a closed vehicle inside a closed garage, and thus, not exposed to outside air or other factors that might contribute to decomposition.

The key was found in the ignition, but in the off position. The death is being treated as a homicide at this time, because police say suicide by carbon monoxide is unlikely. Additionally, there was no note.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard commented, “It is kind of the perfect storm for a mysterious set of circumstances."

Another neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Nobody came over there to check on the lady. It's weird. And it's actually scary.” 

To add to the mystery, recent developments show that, according to Pontiac City Clerk Sherikia Hawkins, there is a record of Farrenkopf voting during the time that she was deceased.

Police are hoping that someone who knew the woman will step forward to shed some light on the situation.

Farrenkopf's sister, Paula Logan, stated, "She had to have had a life."

Pia Farrenkopf's high school photo below, shows a typically pretty and happy teenager who bears a striking resemblance to actress Sally Field.