Earlier this week, police discovered the dead body of an 82-year-old woman inside her Missouri home.
But neighbors say they called police to check on the elderly woman’s condition weeks ago, according to a KMOV-TV report.
The neighbors grew concerned because they hadn’t seen the woman walk outside her house, which she usually did daily.
“For three weeks we haven’t seen her, and they’ve been calling police everyday,” resident Rufus Branner said.
Watch a full report on the 82-year-old woman’s death below:
According to Velda City Police Chief Daniel Paulino, officers did respond to the calls and even spoke with the woman a few times before her death.
They said that she reported to them that she had the flu and did not want to be bothered, so they left her in peace.
It was not until new calls came in reporting an odor around the house that police returned, to find the woman dead inside the home.
“When we got there, we didn’t smell an odor,” said Paulino. “It wasn’t until we opened up the mail slot that it was obvious that there was something bad inside.”
Paulino said that they were not able to do anything prior to the reports of the foul odor without the permission of the family.
No foul play is suspected in the woman’s death.