The mysterious case of a woman found dead and in a mummified-like state in the garage of a Michigan home last week has seen more developments in the last few days.
The woman's body was discovered after a management company visited the home in Pontiac, Mich., when it became foreclosed, funds running out on the automatic payments the homeowner had set up years before. Neighbors said the homeowner had kept to herself. Though they hadn't seen her for years, mail didn't build up and a neighbor who thought she had moved kept the yard mowed.
Pia Farrenkopf's home was foreclosed on, which is when an employee of a management company found the body of a women in the garage. Though the woman, who might be Farrenkopf, is thought to have been dead since 2008, records indicate Farrenkopf voted in 2010. (Image source: WXYZ-TV)
It is speculated that the body of the woman found in the backseat of a Jeep in the garage -- key in the ignition but in the off position -- is that of the homeowner, who public records identified as Pia Farrenkopf.
This photograph shows Pia Farrenkopf at a younger age. She would now be 49 years old. (Image source: WXYZ-TV)
It has been speculated, if the woman is Farrenkopf, that she has been dead for six years. Her car registration was last updated in 2008. But adding more mystery to the situation is a record found more recently that showed Farrenkopf voted in November 2010.
According to Pontiac City Clerk Sherikia Hawkins, the record of Farrenkopf voting could actually be a computing error, WXYZ-TV reported. Hawkins told the news station she was going to search paper records to see if there was a signed document indicating Farrenkopf voted.
Farrenkopf's family members have said they hadn't had contact with the woman, who would now be 49 years old, for years. Paula Logan, Farrenkopf's sister who lives in the Boston area, told WXYZ if the dead woman is in fact her sister, she thinks her death was the result of a criminal act.
"I think there was foul play," Logan told the news station.
Watch WXYZ-TV's report:
MLive reported that Farrenkopf's sister, who was not named specifically in this case, said she would provide a DNA sample in order to help identify the body.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told MLive that the body could also be identified through dental records but none had been located yet.
It is still unclear how the woman in the car died because there are no signs of trauma to the body nor was there a suicide note. MLive reported that a toxicology test is not possible due to the body's lack of tissue and muscle.
"If someone is poisoned, that would be in their blood and muscle," Bouchard said, according to WXYZ. "We don't have blood or muscle."
Investigators are also looking into Farrenkopf's banking activity for clues as well.
Logan told the news station that for now she hopes someone who knew her sister will come forward if they have information.
"She had to have had a life," Logan said.
