A LIVING IN HER OWN CASTLE 

61-year-old Mary lived in a small home in the middle of an up-and-coming area in Houston. Many new buildings were being built all around the area, and eventually, a developer approached Mary and offered to buy her house, however, she declined their offers.

Unable to sway Mary, developers continued to build around her home. Mary wrote in her diary, that her bungalow was like her castle and all the apartment building around her were like her castle walls. 

A CONCERNED NEIGHBOR

Mary did not have too much family or friends, she embraced being a loner and lived her life surrounded by her many cats. However, one day a neighbor passed by Mary's home and noticed her lawn was exceptionally overgrown and her mail was stacked up outside of her door.

Concerned, the person knocked on Mary's front door, however no answer. They proceeded to look around the outside of the home and could not see Mary anywhere. Feeling uneasy, the neighbor called the police for a wellness check.

STRUCK WITH A HORRENDOUS STENCH

When the police arrived they were given an extra key Mary had given the neighbor a while back. police unlocked the door, went inside, and were immediately hit with a horrendous stench. Before they began looking for Mary, the police noticed many dead cats all over the ground.

Expecting to find Mary's dead body in the home, they began searching around, however, they were unable to find anything. They quickly ruled out the possibility that mary just abandoned her animals and left, and they began to tear apart the home continuing the search.

SEARCH DIED DOWN

Eventually, the search stopped after authorities were unable to find anything. Several months passed and after a while, Mary's property went into foreclosure and was swiftly bought by developers. 

The home was cleaned up and put on the market to be rented out. Many renters filtered out of the home, none ever staying too long. In March 2017 a young married couple wanted to sign a lease expecting to be at the home for a few years. 

NEW LONG-TERM TENANTS

As the new tenants prepared to move in examined the home to check things out. The husband makes his way to the attic to check out the storage space. There was a small area he noticed had a floorboard that popped up.

The man examined the popped-up floorboard and noticed a hole below the floor. He shined his flashlight down the hole and was shocked at what he saw next.

WHAT WAS IN THE HOLE?

The man could see the dead and decayed body of Mary Sheppard. Back in 2015 Mary may have gone up to the attic to check on her cats and stepped on the loose floorboard. The ground gave out and she fell through landing in a gap between the walls.

Unable to climb out or call for help Mary was trapped. Having no friends or family, Mary passed away without anyone checking on her.