A medical examiner’s report released Wednesday revealed that the body of a 28-year-old disabled woman found stuffed in plastic trash bags and a suitcase at her mother’s San Diego-area home weighed just 40 pounds, according to KTLA sister station KSWB.
Brooke Macbeth had been dead for months when her remains were found while deputies served an eviction notice at the Lakeside apartment on March 3, the television station reported.
The woman’s mother, Bonnie Macbeth, allegedly told the deputies that, “My daughter is dead in the bedroom,” and that the body was “in a suitcase.”
Her body, which was in a decomposing state, had been wrapped in several black trash bags before being put in a suitcase that in turn was placed in two duffle bags, according to KSWB.
An autopsy found no evidence of trauma on Brooke Macbeth’s body, the station reported. It was possible, the report stated, that she died of natural causes.
However, a cause of death has not been determined and it was not known when she died.
Her mother told investigators that she found her daughter dead in bed between six months and two years ago.
Macbeth was last seen alive about a year ago by her younger sister, who told the station that she appeared to have lost weight. The woman had a probable neurologic disorder and weighed about 75 to 80 pounds while she alive, according to the station.
Her sister stated that Macbeth required full-time care and could not perform daily functions herself.
Bonnie Macbeth, who was not arrested, has been placed on a psychiatric hold at a hospital, the TV station reported.
