Emmy award winner found mummified under pile of rubbish in home
A woman reported missing almost seven months ago has been found buried under mountains of rubbish in her home.
Evelyn Sakash – who was known for her Emmy award-winning work and as a set decorator for shows like Orange is the New Black and Billions – was found mummified under an avalanche of items she had hoarded in her New York City home on Tuesday by a cleaning crew.
“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," the 66-year-old's sister, Ellen Brown, told The Daily News.
Ms Brown had hired cleaners to help tidy her sister's home, hoping it would reveal clues to her whereabouts.
According to friend Laura DiDio, police has visited Ms Sakash's home twice since her disappearance, both time with search dogs and failed to find any trace of the missing woman.
An autopsy is being conducted, however investigators believe she was killed by falling debris or was trapped by it and slowly died.
Pictures from the home show a sink filled with filthy dishes, rubbish piled high in rooms and spilling out from the home.
#Queens #NewYork College Point #Missing named Evelyn Sakash, F/W-66YO, 5'04", 110lbs, last seen, on 09-30-2020, near 123 Street and 14 Avenue #Queens. Please call 9-1-1 if located. #NY #Brooklyn #Bronx #StatenIsland #Manhattan #NYC #NYPD pic.twitter.com/4CRIfNh6Te
— NYPD Missing Persons (@NYPDMissing) February 20, 2021
A neighbour told The Daily News Ms Sakash's hoarding had increased after her mother's death in April last year.
“She became so much more withdrawn and looked sick, I think that’s when she started to pick up more of the hoarding ...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," the neighbour said.
Ms Sakash's loved ones hope that she will be remembered for her creativity and loyal friendship, rather than for how she passed away.
A GoFund Me page had been launched to supplement law enforcements' investigative resources in the search.
The fundraising page states the money raised will now be used to pay for Ms Sakash's funeral and assist her family.
"Our hearts are broken but this outpouring of generosity is so comforting," organiser Madeline Hartling wrote.
Ms Sakash worked on shows for Disney and MTV in a career spanning more than three decades.
She won a 2003 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for her work on the children’s television series Between the Lions.
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