Family Sits Dead In House Since 1999...Just Discovered(Florida...Shocked?)

News-Press.Com | 11-20-02 | Adam Kovac

[My Favorite Headache]

Dead since 1999: Gruesome discovery in Lehigh

Dog perished with two Germans

By ADAM KOVAC, akovac@news-press.com

Lee County sheriff’s deputies found two mummified bodies in a Lehigh Acres home Wednesday that they believe have been dead since 1999.

Josef Fuchs Jr., 34, was found under the covers in bed, with a dead German shepherd next to him. His mother, Liz Fuchs, 70, was found on the floor by the dining room table with a blanket over her.

Heinz Rubin, 66, of Fort Myers, found the bodies when he went to check on the pair at their home at East Fifth Street and Hamilton Avenue after the property taxes were not paid.

The other bills were automatically paid through an electronic account. The lights and the air-conditioning were on in the residence.

Rubin has known the family since 1988 and managed the home for them while they were in Germany. He last saw them at the beginning of January 1999.

“They were in good spirits, I would say,” Rubin said. “There was nothing wrong. (Josef) said I’d like to go back to Germany.”

Rubin said no one had seen them since 1999 and in 2000 the police went to their apartment in Aachen, Germany near the Belgium border and they were not there. There was an indication the two had gone to Florida.

“I’d like to know too if it was a murder-suicide and where’s their rental car,” Rubin said. “It’s a pity.”

Rubin said Josef Fuchs, who had a nervous system disorder, was very smart and studied at a university in Germany.

“He was her only boy and even though he was in his 30s she still called him her little boy and he was always trying to prove that he was a big boy,” Heinz said.

There is no visible cause of death, said Lee County sheriff’s Maj. Richard Chard. He said investigators are looking at some medications found in the home.

Both bodies were mummified, he said.

There is food in the refrigerator that has expiration dates of 1999 and the last day on the calendar is Feb. 28, 1999, Chard said.

The grass in the front yard stands about three to four feet tall among the nearby homes with well-manicured yards. Children played soccer in a nearby yard as detectives investigated.

Detectives are canvassing the neighborhood, trying to determine the last time someone saw them.

[mass55th]

I just know that Rush had something to do with this!

[Thisiswhoweare]

Whaat about the guy taking care of the place while they were in Germany? WTF did it take him so long to check on the house etc.? How did he know his job was finished without their say so? Guess he just kept getting paid out of the online account and only questioned it when the money ran out.

Sounds like one of those people who cash their parent's SS checks long after they're dead.

[Tribune7]

This story reminds me of the guy who was found dead in his home after a couple of years with the Christmas lights still on.

I was just thinking of that. That guy was German too.

[My Favorite Headache]

Who knows what it was. But yeah...the dog probably lasted 3 days max with no water and the heat on. I can't imagine what the smell was like in the house when the relator walked in. Disgusting I am sure.

[FITZ]

That has to be the goofiest sub-head of all time!

Yes because the dog is also a German, the title makes it seem like it wasn't.

[vikingchick]

About six months ago, my brother noticed the elderly neighbors' cats from around the block were milling about, mewing for food. They hung around for a few days, until bro figured something was up.

He went over to the house, and saw some uncollected newspapers out front.

The authorities were called. The wife, who had been caretaking her sick husband, had died in the front room, while the bedridden husband was still alive, but he hadn't eaten in a while.

They saved him. They didn't have any children or anybody to look in on them. Kind of sad.

[My Favorite Headache]

I guess I will correct myself since it says this in the article:

"The other bills were automatically paid through an electronic account. The lights and the air-conditioning were on in the residence.

[Lady Jag]

The a/c was on. You can go to Old Farmer's Almanac History Page and check the weather. Not knowing where Lehigh is I picked Orlando/Herndon for 2/14/99 and got 68º for the high.

[Cacique]

Weird story bump

[Skip Ripley]

We had an odd story like this here in NW Ohio. A local investor purchased a home at the county auction. The county had taken the home because the property taxes were well in arrears. When the purchaser entered the home, he found the decomposed body of the previous owner. He did not get to keep the house because the county had served the deceased owner (by mail) with the legal notices required for seizure. Since he was dead, he was no longer the owner, his heir was. Therefore, the county did not have the right to take and auction the property.

[BUSHdude2000]

Were they logged on to America Online? Did someone pick up the telephone to see if they were still on hold for tech support?

That is absolutely one of the funniest things I have read in long time, I actually laughed out loud. I have AOL and would go buy a new computer before calling the worthless tech support morons.

[Jael]

Mark this one down as strange for sure.

[Kenny Bunk]

Yes, they made it to at least two precincts and voted absentee in about three more.

All Democrats on this site should be made aware that death does not excuse them fromn their duty to the Party of God and Ted Kennedy.

Is Al Gore still on the planet?

[NMFXSTC]

Musta been one helluva great set of light bulbs!

[Kenny Bunk]

These deaths were caused by Republican budget cuts, The heartless bastards haven't even taken their ill-gotten seats, and already old people and dogs are being found dead all over the place.

How can you just sit their and type, Fitz. Sue somebody!

[altair]

Yup, three times each in fact. And this year they also voted Democrat by an odd coincidence.

[col kurz]

Just checked my refrigerator, some 1998 stuff in there!

[vikingchick]

Seriously: Is there any way to check and see if somebody voted in Florida?

[snickeroon]

Not sure about voting records, but isn't Florida now Rush's main residence? There you go. First Daschle says he's a threat monger....now this. Was their radio on?

[vikingchick]

LOL! The reporter must have failed to mention that the radio was tuned to the Rush Limbaugh program at full blast. Rush should hang his head in shame.