http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/05/elderly-couple-trapped-weeks-in-mound-of-debris.htmlWhen a reclusive elderly couple were rescued Monday after being buried under floor-to-ceiling debris in their South Side two-flat, the stench was so strong that firefighters donned hazardous-material suits, authorities said.
Thelma and Jesse Gaston may have been trapped for as long as two weeks -- the last time they were seen, authorities said.
The couple, who are believed to be in their mid-70s and had no children, became reclusive shortly after they married in the 1970s, said Mary Funches, his niece.
"All of a sudden things just changed," she said. "He cut off all family contact."
Neighbors had complained for years about the messy exterior of the couple's house -- trash piled in a dozen garbage cans in their backyard, shovels lost in a sea of tools, a rotted-out porch. But no one realized the extent of the chaos inside their Grand Crossing home.
Neighbors lodged a formal complaint about their well-being after recently noticing mail stacked up on their porch and parking tickets accumulated on his gray truck in the 1500 block of East 69th Street.
hordingcouple70s300.jpgAuthorities had to call the Fire Department to make a forced entry Monday. It appears Thelma Gaston fell through the mound of their belongings and got trapped, department spokesman Kevin MacGregor said. When her husband tried to come to her aid, he got stuck too, MacGregor said.
The Gastons were taken to Jackson Park Hospital in critical condition. According to family members, they remain in intensive care -- he's on life support, and she's awake but incoherent.
A fire official on the scene said Thelma Gaston had injuries that resembled rat bites.
Hoarding, which experts said the Gastons appear to suffer from, is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The disease makes it difficult for sufferers to distinguish between a family heirloom and a used tissue.
"They have deep-seated beliefs that if they get rid of stuff, something bad will happen. They love to be around their stuff," said Christiana Bratiotis, the director of the Hoarding Research Project at Boston University. "The idea of getting rid of things causes them significant amounts of stress."
There's a difference between hoarding and living in squalor, the experts said. Hoarding involves amassing a large volume of objects to the point where it begins to interfere with daily activities. Squalid conditions involve filthiness and degradation from neglect, such as rotting food and rodents.
Based on photos of the scene, Bratiotis said the Gastons appear to have suffered from both.
"While all cases of hoarding are not this extreme, their case highlights how severe and heartbreaking the disorder can become," Bratiotis said.
After the discovery, the city's Department of Buildings issued 16 building-code violations on Tuesday, citing the couple with everything from failure to maintain fences to failure to "stop noxious odors from permeating dwelling or premises." The city said it will speed up court efforts to clean the home and will also offer the couple help, including mental-health services.
Bill McCaffrey, a building department spokesman, said he does not know whether the city has ever seen a case this egregious.
"I don't want to sound insensitive to the needs of the residents. We are concerned about their well-being," he said. "We also have a public-health and -safety concern."
Relatives said they hadn't seen the Gastons face-to-face for six or more years. Rosie Gaston Funches of Glenwood said she would knock on her brother's front door and leave him notes, but he never responded.
David O'Neal, Thelma Gaston's brother who lives outside Seattle, said he has tried calling her monthly and has made trips to Chicago just to see her, all to no avail.
"Years ago, I noticed there was not a lot of activity in the home," said O'Neal, 75.
Relatives said Gaston was a retired zoologist and his wife was a former schoolteacher.
Hattie Fields, 83, who has lived next door since 1965, said the Gastons had resided there for more than 15 years, but it has been years since she spoke with them.
"They didn't communicate with anybody," Fields said.
The office of Ald. Leslie Hairston said it had received only two complaints about conditions at the home. One was an anonymous call last August about debris in the alley and a request for rat abatement. Both were handled that month, and another rat abatement was conducted in November, said Rosalind Moore, the alderman's assistant.
"This is an unfortunate situation," Moore said. "You would have to be inside that backyard or inside the neighbors' backyard to see that mess. There was no indication this was a house full of debris. We had no way of knowing what was inside that house."
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