The Waste Left Behind

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This foreclosed house on Pleasant Creek Rd. near Rogue River has become a problem for neighbors living near the clutter left by a deceased owner. Bob Pennell / Mail Tribune photoBob Pennell

August 01, 2010

By Sanne Specht

Mail Tribune

The stench of rotting garbage in a rural neighborhood north of Rogue River is creating an odorous calling card for wildlife, a nightmare for neighbors and a headache for county code-enforcement officers.

It has been nearly three months since Laura Sinclair-Bach, 49, died on May 4 at Rogue Valley Medical Center. Her former home in the 3300 block of pine-forested Pleasant Creek Road is packed with boxes and sits abandoned.

Many of Sinclair-Bach's possessions, including items culled from three semi-trucks which were full of food, clothing, books, kitchenware, video tapes, furniture and more, now sit in the yard, moldy from spring rains, baking in the summer sun and creating multiple county code violations.

Jackson County Code Enforcement Officer Dean Walker, who visited the property Tuesday, described the smell emanating from the house as "horrific." He deemed the reeking mess the largest-scale solid-waste issue he has witnessed.

"This is an urgent case that demands quick action," said Walker. "(Sinclair-Bach) was a hoarder to a level I've never seen before."

Annette Turner, 56, and Benny Black, 64, lived briefly in their fifth-wheel trailer on Sinclair-Bach's property after they moved to Jackson County from Texas. They relocated to an adjacent property shortly before she died, said Black.

The couple noticed Sinclair-Bach's house and trucks were packed with boxes. But things were fairly tidy until after her death, said Black.

"She was a nice lady. I liked her," said Black. "It wasn't in this shape until after she died. We saw all the boxes stacked up in her house. But we thought they were there because we thought maybe she'd just moved in."

It was the deceased woman's family members and friends who tumbled dozens of boxes off the trucks and out of the house, searching for usable or saleable goods and dumping anything they didn't want into the yard, said Turner.

After a series of garage sales, "everyone disappeared" — and the remaining tons of Sinclair-Bach's belongings were left to rot, she said.

"On top of the problems it created for us, I think what they did was very disrespectful to Laura," Turner said.

Adding to the unsightly mess, power was turned off inside the house a few days after Sinclair-Bach died. Her multiple refrigerators were full of food which has now rotted. The stench is noxious to humans, but it is an airborne calling card for wildlife, said Black.

"Our main concern is that we're going to get bears down here," he said.

Turner thinks bears have already been feasting on the leftovers.

"I've seen big cans of sauce bitten open by an animal that had to be bigger than a fox or a raccoon," said Turner.

Sinclair-Bach left behind several animals of her own, said Turner. A daughter took the woman's dogs. But her four cats were left behind, she said.

"I'm taking care of the cats the best I can," Turner said. "But I can't keep feeding them."

Attempts to contact Sinclair-Bach's family to resolve the matter have led to nowhere, Turner said, adding she also had no luck with local legislators.

"I kept calling. But I never heard anything back from anyone," she said.

Knowing the property was in foreclosure, Turner tried to get the mortgage holder, Litton Lenders, to do something about the clean-up.

"It's going up for auction on October 18," said Turner. "Nobody (at Litton Lenders) knew she had passed away. They should have sent someone out months ago."

Calls to the company by the Mail Tribune were not immediately returned.

After Turner contacted media, Walker arrived on the scene, she said.

If the mess remains, up to $10,000 in fines may be levied against Litton Lenders, Walker said. He praised Turner for being a proactive complainant, saying her ability to provide him with contact information has been helpful.

"I wish more people had that kind of gumption," Walker said.

Walker said Wednesday he has been unsuccessful in getting phone calls returned by family members, but added he had been in contact with representatives of Litton Lenders.

On Thursday, Walker met with a contractor sent by the company who will to provide Litton with an estimate to clean up the property.

"This process is moving lightening fast compared to other code violation situations," Walker said.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or e-mail sspecht@mailtribune.com.

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