Hoarding 130 cats, human corpse discovered
Dover, DE (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jul 11, 2006
County: Kent
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Pamela J. Haas
» Candy Jean Haas - Not Charged
Case Updates: 4 update(s) available
Two sisters wanted for allegedly storing their elderly mother's remains in a plastic container surrendered to authorities on July 11 after they saw reports in the media, Dover police said.
Their mother, 84-year-old Mary Haas, had been dead more than a year, said Dover police Capt. Lester Boney. A Medical Examiner's Office report showed no evidence of trauma, but the results of toxicology tests are pending.
Shortly before being arraigned on the misdemeanor charges of abusing her mother's corpse, Pamela Haas, 48, broke down in neighbor Addie Merchant's arms and wailed, "My life is over!"
Her 43-year-old sister Candy sat quietly nearby.
The gruesome details began to surface two weeks ago when city inspectors went to investigate a complaint of a strong odor from the house, owned by Mary Haas, which was overrun by cats.
City inspectors gave Pamela Haas a week to clean up.
Ann Marie Townsend, who heads Dover's Department of Planning and Inspections, said in the past six years, city inspectors had received five complaints, including the one July 6, about the Haas home.
"Part of the challenge is that we can't go into the house unless they invite us in," Townsend said. "The complaints were all related to exterior property maintenance. The current case is the first time we were in the house."
City officials returned to the home Thursday with police, SPCA animal control officers and workers from the state Department of Health and Social Services. There, animal control officers removed 116 dead cats from the Haas home after city inspectors deemed the house unfit for human habitation.
State Division of Public Health spokeswoman Jennifer Wooleyhand said when two state toxicologists were sent to the home July 6 to make sure other responders were not in danger by going into the home, their monitoring equipment showed dangerous levels of ammonia.
"They were overwhelmed by the smell and had to leave, but they knew what they were dealing with," Wooleyhand said.
The sickly cats were euthanized on the premises at the request of Pamela Haas before being taken to the Kent County SPCA to be destroyed.
"We were retained by the owner to euthanize the cats," said veterinarian Dr. Craig Stonesiefer, of the Brenford Animal Hospital. "We were not requested by the SPCA or the police. We have certain rules we have to abide by and we cannot divulge information that the client does not want us to divulge."
Stonesiefer said the three dogs that lived in the house are being boarded at the animal hospital.
Officials condemned the home and Pamela Haas was placed in a city shelter.
In addition to the abuse of corpse charge, the sisters were charged with one count each of cruelty to animals -- both misdemeanors -- and released on $1,500 unsecured bail each. They said they plan to stay at a shelter.
But the Haas sisters' troubles don't stop there.
According to records in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, both sisters filed separate bankruptcy petitions on Oct. 5 -- the day Candy Haas lost a $24,757 debt judgment in the Kent County Court of Common Pleas.
The petition, which was granted Dec. 23, describes her occupation as "unemployed/ caregiver for mother," listing assets of $3,645 and liabilities of $74,863.
The bankruptcy was granted Dec. 23, and the case discharged in March.
When Haas' older sister Pamela filed her Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition nine months ago, she listed her occupation as a self-employed real estate agent. Her combined income for the past three years amounted to $53,353, according to court records. Her assets were listed as $31,794.34, her liabilities as $33,393.86.
Bankruptcy attorney Tara A. Blakely, who handled both cases, said Pamela's was ongoing and her client was continuing the payment plan.
Back on Jefferson Court, the smell of cat urine, the source of neighbors' complaints, still hung in the humid summer air, and the Haas family's 3-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath brick town home was boarded up.
Theresa Pryor said she came to know Mary Haas during the five years that she lived two doors down from the family.
"The sisters kept pretty much to themselves," Pryor said. "But I got to know Miss Mary. She was a very nice lady who always had something good to say."
Pryor said the daughters often brought in large quantities of dog and cat food. When she noticed Mary Haas' absence and asked the daughters where she was, Pryor was brushed off.
"They just told me she wasn't feeling well," she said, adding that during the weekend she had a nightmare about what police ultimately found. "I had a dream that they were going to pull a body out of there. It was terrible."
Case UpdatesCandy Jean Haas and Pamela J. Haas each pleaded guilty today to two misdemeanor counts stemming from the discovery of their mother's corpse and 130 cats at their west Dover home in July.
During an appearance in Kent County Court of Common Pleas, Pamela Haas pleaded guilty to single counts of cruelty to animals and abuse of a corpse. In exchange for the guilty plea, a misdemeanor count of third-degree conspirary was dropped by the state.
Candy Haas, Pamela's sister, pleaded guilty to one count each of abuse of a corpse and third-degree conspiracy. The state declined to prosecute a misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals.
Judge Charles W. Welch III called for a pre-sentencing report within 60 days. Both defendants face penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to $4,600. Because she pleaded guilty to animal cruelty, Pamela Haas also faces the prospect of being ordered not to possess an animal for at least five years.
The sisters also face up to 10 years in prison and fines of $500,000 each on federal conspiracy and fraud charges. Last month, a federal grand jury indicted them for allegedly covering up their mother's death in order to collect her government benefits. | Source: Delaware Online - Oct 17, 2006
Update posted on Oct 23, 2006 - 10:24AM |
A home that once held more than 130 cats and a decomposed body may not have to be demolished after all. The city of Dover says the Jefferson Court home of Mary Haas is structurally safe, but the smell of cat urine still remains inside.
Cleanup crews have removed all the drywall from the home. It is stripped down to the boards. They have used a deodorizer once again, and if that works city officials said the building can be spared.
So far clean up has cost the city $69,000. The figure has gone up from the original estimate because workers had to remove asbestos inside. The city hopes to get that money back by putting a lien on the sale of the home. But neighbors doubt anyone will buy it.
"Maybe after they've gutted it out, but I think you know a local person wouldn't buy the place. And I don't think anybody would move in if they know the history," said neighbor Cindy Frisbie.
The home's former residents, 48-year-old Pamela Haas and 43-year-old Candy Haas, are charged with abusing their mother's corpse and animal cruelty. The sister have pleaded not guilty to the charges and will face a jury trial in October.
The body of 84-year-old Mary Haas was found inside a plastic storage container in the home back in July. Police said she had been dead for about a year. | Source: WBOC - Aug 29, 2006
Update posted on Aug 31, 2006 - 11:15AM |
The Delaware State Police say they will not have a cause for the death of 84-year-old Mary Haas.
They say, "The cause of death and manner of death is undetermined due to advanced decomposition and mummification."
Meanwhile Haas's two daughters pleaded not guilty to abusing their mother's corpse. Pamela and Candy Haas will go before a judge next month.
They're accused of keeping their mother's body in a plastic container for about a year. It was discovered after the home was condemned for unsanitary conditions and housing about 130 cats.
The Haas sisters are also facing charges for animal cruelty and conspiracy. | Source: WBOC - July 28, 2006
Update posted on Jul 29, 2006 - 2:03PM |
Nearly two weeks after police found more than 120 cats and the decomposed remains of a human inside a townhouse at 101 Jefferson Court in Dover, many questions - and smells - linger in the neighborhood.
Residents want to know why sisters Pamela and Candice Haas, who had lived in the townhouse for about 30 years, stuffed the remains of their mother, 84-year-old Mary Haas, inside a Tupperware container.
They also want to know why the Haases opened their home to so many cats and whether the city will demolish the residence, which they say reeks of feces and kitty litter.
Therese Pryor, who lives two houses away from the now-condemned Haas residence, said she feels saddened every time she looks at the home and thinks of what police found in there.
"It's going to always be in my mind," she said. "It's kind of wicked."
Last week, Dover animal control officer Mark Moore said the floors, walls and sinks of the home were covered in cat feces, and ammonia from cat urine had caused some of the Haas' furniture to deteriorate.
Ms. Pryor said it would be nice if the city cleaned and renovated the property, but said she would understand if it needs to be torn down.
She just hopes the city will make a decision soon, because the residence has become a breeding ground for flies and is affecting the quality of living in the neighborhood.
"At one point I had 10 flies in my home," Ms. Pryor said, blaming the Haas residence for attracting the bugs.
She said she's heard other neighbors complain that the filthy home could bring down the property values in their neighborhood.
Ann Marie Townshend, director of city planning and inspections, said all the cats have been removed from the residence and her department will take the case to City Council Monday evening to determine what should be done with the home.
Dover City Council President Beverly C. Williams, whose district includes the Jefferson Court house, said she thinks the home should be demolished.
"If the toxic substances found have permeated the wood base, we should go to demolition instead of rehabilitation," she said.
"I'm hoping this can get resolved as fast as the law will allow. This is not the city dragging its feet. The city is doing everything it can to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible."
Last week, Dover police charged the Haas sisters with animal cruelty, abuse of a corpse and third-degree conspiracy and more charges could be filed.
Ben Shamburger, a spokesman with the U.S. Social Security Administration's Dover office, said a referral was made to the Inspector General's office in Philadelphia to investigate whether the Haas sisters committed any Social Security fraud.
He said his office sent the referral "because of the circumstances of (Mary Haas') death."
"We want to determine if in fact there was any fraud with the use of her benefits," he said.
Police believe Mrs. Haas might have been dead for a year.
Vincent Santoro, a special agent with the Inspector General's office, did not return calls Friday seeking comment.
Dover police spokesman Capt. Lester Boney said his department's investigation is in limbo until the state medical examiner's office rules on the cause and manner of Mary Haas' death.
That information, he said, is pending the results of toxicology reports.
"We have interviewed both daughters and collected all the physical evidence from the house," he said.
"There is nothing that indicates foul play at this time. Until the results indicate any criminal act took place, we can't do anything."
If the medical examiner's tests show there was no foul play, the police investigation would be complete, Capt. Boney said.
Since the Haas family entered the public eye last week, many people have struggled to understand their bizarre actions.
Murray Goldthwaite, director of the Kent County SPCA, said the family had been collecting cats for decades.
Mary Haas used to visit the SPCA regularly to adopt cats, Mr. Goldthwaite said, but the shelter stopped letting her adopt in the mid-1990s because she was taking more cats home than she could care for.
He said Mary Haas started coming to the shelter around the 1970s because she wanted to offer the animals a better life, but cat adoption became an addiction for her.
He said she and her daughters meant well by taking the cats into their home, but things got out of hand.
"Their heart was in the right place," he said. "But to the extent of financially taking care of the cats - you saw the end result. They got overwhelmed."
Mr. Goldthwaite said Pamela Haas would sometimes accompany her mother to the SPCA, but he didn't recall seeing Candice Haas there.
He knew nothing about the women's private lives.
Court records list Pamela Haas' age as 36 and Candice Haas as 53, but the records did not list an employer for either sister.
The Rev. Gloria Cherry, of Dover, who used to live on Jefferson Court, said Pamela Haas previously worked for the Social Security office in Dover.
Mr. Shamburger would not confirm whether Pamela Haas ever worked there, because of privacy reasons.
Ms. Cherry said she does not recall Candice Haas ever working.
She said she met the Haas family in 1978 when she moved to Jefferson Court, and that they'd been living there for a couple of years.
The sisters' father was a colonel in the Air Force who died in the 1970s, she said.
"They were raised up very well and were happy when their dad was alive," she said. "I don't know if their mother's grief took things downhill."
Ms. Cherry said she wishes people would stop scrutinizing the Haas sisters, whom she described as "nice people who were there to help others."
She did not want to speculate why the sisters behaved so oddly, but suggested that there has been turmoil in their lives.
"If you knew the story of their life, you would leave them alone," she said, refusing to elaborate.
Ms. Cherry said she has been keeping in touch with the sisters and is trying to lift their spirits.
She hopes people will stop judging them so harshly.
"These are girls who would not do anything to hurt anybody," she said.
"They were meek girls who didn't get to live like anybody else." | Source: Newzap - July 21, 2006
Update posted on Jul 24, 2006 - 1:15AM |
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