An elderly woman who suffers from Alzheimer's disease lived with her husband's body for a month after he died not realizing what happened, authorities said Monday, according to NBC News.
The body of Jesse Kirby, 76, was discovered Friday afternoon in his bed when police went to the home to check on the couple, said Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn, NBC News reported. The man had numerous health problems including heart issues and apparently died of natural causes in his sleep about four weeks ago, the coroner added.
Living inside the house was his wife, Doris Kirby, 78, who was hospitalized after the discovery, according to NBC News. The door was closed to the bedroom where the man died, Chunn said, and the woman continued living in other parts of the house with access to food.
"I don't think she even realized what was going on when (emergency medical workers) came to take her to the hospital," Chunn said, NBC News reported.
Police saw the man's body through a window after going to the house in response to a relative who had been trying to contact the couple and could not reach them, according to NBC News. Two dogs that apparently died of starvation were found in the bedroom also.
Chunn said the man has two children who live in the Decatur area, but neither realized what had happened because their Kirbys were "sort of loners," NBC News reported. The children, who are grown, believed the man was taking care of the couple's needs.
