Woman known as a hoarder found ‘mummified’ under piles of garbage after not being seen for months

Former film and television production designer worked on projects such as Orange Is The New Black

Evelyn Sakash was found in her home in Queens after not being seen for months. (GoFundMe/Madeline Hartling)

Former film and television production designer Evelyn Sakash was found mummified under a heap of garbage in her Queens home in New York, police said.

The 66-year-old was described as a heavy hoarder. Her sister told authorities that she had not heard from her since October of last year.

Police said that her sister, Ellen Brown, had come to New York to find Ms Sakash and employed a cleaning team to clear out her home. She was found around 4.15pm on Tuesday under debris in the kitchen. The was no suspicion of foul play, The New York Post reported.

Ms Sakash was a part of dozens of productions between the 80s to the mid-2010s. Some examples of her work can be seen on programmes such as Sesame Street, Law and Order and Orange Is the New Black.

She won a Daytime Emmy award for Between the Lions in 2003, according to the Associated Press. 

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A missing persons report said she was last seen on 30 September 2020.

The New York Medical Examiner’s office told E!News that Ms Sakash died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. According to the American Heart Association, this occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries.

Madeline Hartling worked in the art department on Orange Is The New Black along with Ms Sakash. She organised a GoFundMe to raise money for funeral expenses, and described Ms Sakash as a “kind, loving, and generous friend and sister”. 

Ms Brown, 60, told The New York Daily News: “This is just devastating. She had a full life. She was so extraordinarily talented. She was a brilliant mind ... I don’t want my sister to be remembered like that, like the way she was found.”

A neighbour told the outlet that Ms Sakash started to struggle after the death of her mother in April of last year.

The neighbour told The New York Daily News: “She became so much more withdrawn and looked sick. I think that’s when she started to pick up more of the hoarding ... I went into her house years ago and it was normal.”

Ms Brown said: “This was clearly in effect for a long time. She sometimes kept people at bay. The headline says ‘Queens hoarder,’ but that’s not who she is.”

Ms Hartling told the outlet: “I would like her to be remembered as an amazing friend and a talented artist.

“I had no idea that she was living in her home like that. It was part of her life but it was not all of it so I hope she can be remembered more charitably ... She should be remembered by the contributions made to the industry and with the kindness she approached everyone she knew.”