WELLS — The Wells Police Department is reminding seniors of a daily check-in program in light of a recent case in which a woman was found in her home more than two years after she died.
On Jan. 8, the body of Lucie McNulty was found in the bedroom of her mobile home in a neighborhood off Route 109. McNulty was last seen alive in summer 2013 after a trip to the hospital, and is believed to have been dead for more than two years, said police Lt. Gerald Congdon. McNulty would be 69 today if alive.
In light of McNulty’s case, police are publicizing the department’s Good Morning program, which is open to seniors, people with disabilities, or anyone in town who is house-bound.
Participants of the program give police a key to their home and agree to call the police department every day between 7 and 10 a.m. If police do not hear from the participant, they will go to the home and check on them.
The police department has had the Good Morning in place for about six years. Those interested can call 646-9354.
In McNulty’s case, Wells police got a few calls over the past two years from concerned neighbors, which prompted them to go to her house and knock on the door. They saw nothing out of the ordinary, Congdon noting that McNulty was a recluse who didn’t socialize with neighbors. Police have to have justifiable cause to break into someone’s home, and have to be conscientious of residents’ Fourth Amendment rights, he said.
“She moved here from New York because she wanted to be alone,” said Congdon. “No one ever saw her. She went to the mailbox, and that was it.”
Congdon said a friend of McNulty’s from New York called Wells police because mail they had sent to her had been returned. The town was about to put a lien on the home for back taxes, and police decided to enter the home on Friday.
Congdon said the electricity was still on at the home, as the bills were paid by direct withdrawal from a bank account.
The state medical examiner’s office determined that McNulty died of cardiovascular disease, said Congdon.
It’s important for seniors to maintain support systems on which they can rely in times of need, said Jane Margesson, spokeswoman for AARP Maine.
“Isolation is an issue impacting an increasing number of older Americans. Social isolation can have severe mental and physical impacts on older people and can increase the risk of death,” Margesson said in an email. “It’s important for all of us to build and maintain both support systems and interests or activities that engage us or our loved ones, especially as we grow older.”
Margesson said most communities have services to assist the elderly, which can be obtained by calling the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources’ Eldercare Locator at (800) 677-1116.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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