Al and Michelle Daub say they have exhausted all options to get a foul stench out of their neighborhood. The origin of the smell has kept them from going outside.
PHOENIX — An Ahwatukee couple says they have run out of options trying to escape a foul odor that has plagued their neighborhood for years—and most recently intensified after their neighbor was found dead in her backyard.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL:
Al and Michelle Daub moved to their Ahwatukee Foothills neighborhood four years ago, believing they were settling into a peaceful community. Instead, they quickly discovered their next-door neighbor, a woman in her late 60s to early 70s, was living in hoarding conditions.
“It started with a mound of used food cans crawling with cockroaches and scorpions,” Michelle recalled. “Over the years, it’s progressed to piles of food, quilts, and blankets."
The couple said the situation reached a horrifying level in late July, when their neighbor—who they say struggled with severe mental health issues and had no family in the area—died in her backyard. Phoenix Fire crews discovered her body on July 22, the Daubs said.
According to the Daubs, the woman’s remains had been outside for more than a week in triple-digit heat.
“Her body had started to decompose and was completely black,” Michelle said. “Her two dogs had even begun eating her body.”
While the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the remains, the Daubs said the stench—combined with rotting food, garbage, and animal waste—has only gotten worse in the weeks since.
Michelle worries about potential health risks, both airborne and in the ground below their feet.
“It's been raining and we don't really want that running into the ground and now going downstream into our soil," Michelle said. "People have gardens with vegetables and dogs and kids, and to have those types of blood-borne pathogens seeping into the soil and in the air is a toxic environment for people to live in.”
The couple said they have reached out repeatedly to their homeowners association, the Maricopa County Health Department, the City of Phoenix, the Maricopa County Humane Society, Adult Protective Services, and more, seeking help.
County environmental officials have treated the property’s pool, which remains stagnant and green. City neighborhood services says the property is “under notice.” Signs reflecting both now sit in the home's front yard.
On Monday, a clean-up crew hired by an estate recovery company began removing debris from inside the home. But the Daubs say the backyard—the source of the odor—remains a serious concern.
They’re also calling for systemic change.
“Moving forward, there needs to be more help for people struggling with mental illness in our community, and stronger protections for animals,” Michelle said. “Those dogs didn’t ask for this, and there are no laws that really protected them.”
The estate recovery company told 12News it hopes to have both the home and backyard cleaned within two weeks. The Daubs, however, are pushing for a quicker resolution, with help from city and county officials.
12News reached out to several of the agencies Daub's has contacted for information on what has or has not been done since the woman's death. We will update this article as those responses come in.
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