Two of the three skeletal remains found in a Burlington home on Stanwich Lane were identified on Monday as Sally Ann Cash and Brian Cash. Connecticut State Police are investigating after the bodies were discovered on June 14 inside the house purchased at a foreclosure auction.
Sally Ann was 54 years old, and Brian was 22. The property sold on June 6 for $525,000, and the new homeowner found the remains after buying it as is.
Stanwich Lane foreclosure auction
The foreclosure procedure began in August, but Sally Ann and Paul Cash did not appear at any of the court proceedings. Jeff Gentes, who heads the Yale Law School Housing Clinic, said many foreclosures move forward without direct homeowner participation. He said, “It doesn't require their participation, their consent” and added, “Consent in the foreclosure happens when you sign your mortgage documents at the closing table.”
Gentes estimated that between 10% and 25% of foreclosures go through without the owner engaging in the court process. He also said, “You have the collection calls where, if they don't pick up, they're not leaving a voicemail. You have the letters, whether or not someone opens their mail, they're not checking. They plow ahead with the complaint, which is just leaving it at the doorstep.”
Jeff Gentes on foreclosure sales
The remains were believed to have been at the property for a while because of the condition of the remains. Gentes said, “If the property gave the impression of being abandoned to the appraiser, I'm surprised that the property inspectors, the property preservation people, did not go and do anything further themselves.” Connecticut State Police said there is no threat to the public and foul play is not suspected.
He said, “If I were the bank, I'd be like, ‘Crazy situation. What are you going to do?’ But it's caveat emptor on these foreclosure sales, and if we said, ‘What's the difference between this and black mold?’” The sale is expected to go through as planned, but the ownership status could change if Sally Ann and Paul Cash died before the foreclosure took place.
Paul Cash and ownership
Sally Ann owned the property with Paul Cash, and the unresolved timing of the deaths leaves the central property question tied to the court process and the June 6 sale. For anyone watching the case now, the key issue is whether the deaths came before the foreclosure took effect, because that is what could alter who legally holds the home.
