Union City missing person's case leads to mummified body in South Bay home
A missing person's case in Union City led to the discovery of a mummified body on a toilet of a South Bay home, but it wasn't even the person the police were looking for.
The mystery started unraveling about two months ago when a family member asked police to go by a house to check in on 95-year-old Nadine Parker.
Parker, as it turns out, had been moved to a senior home in Oakland two years ago, but officers made a gruesome discovery inside the home.
The house is tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac on the east side of Union City. It would be easy to miss if it wasn't for the trash.
"The backyard and the front yard was filled with trash," said neighbor Bruce Chan. "It was piled up to 10 feet high or so with trash. We always wondered about it because the place always seemed really creepy."
But neighbors were shocked to hear that a mummified body of a man was found on the toilet of the home. Sgt. Brandon Hayward with the Union City Police Department believes the remains were there for weeks, if not months.
He added it isn't uncommon for police to find people dead in the bathroom. The body wasn't wrapped in cloth, but the remains had started to dry up because of the temperature inside the enclosed bathroom.
Police said the house overall was in horrible condition with trash scattered everywhere.
They found another man alive but in bad condition with mold growing out of his ear. Neighbors said they frequently see him walking down the street.
"We see him about three times a week or so," said Chan. "Again, he's always been non-threatening, but I always wondered how he was cared for."
"I saw the older guy and the youngest one," added neighbor Ameneh Safarazdeh. "He goes early in the morning walking to Safeway. Everyday."
Police said the man they found alive is one of Nadine Parker's two sons. In mid-August, Union City Police issued a silver alert for Parker who suffered from Alzheimer's. While she was found safe, Sgt. Hayward said the son suffers from some sort of mental illness.
They believe the body in the bathroom may belong to his brother and say they believe he died of natural causes.
The coroner's office is still looking into the cause of death and trying to match DNA to positively identify the body. Again, Union City Police do not believe foul play was involved.