Mama Always Said That If I Slept With Them On The First Date I’ll End Up Mummified In The Norwood Section Of The Bronx

See, this is what happens when you don’t follow The Rules:

For years, neighbors knew little about the frail, older woman who lived at 3280 Perry Avenue, a weathered two-story house in Norwood, in the Bronx. She lived alone, neighbors said, and seemed to value her independence.

About two years ago, though, some people on the block said that they began calling the police when they realized they had not seen the woman in a while.

On Friday, workers who were at the house to remove debris discovered bones inside, and people on the quiet residential block between East 209th Street and Holt Place began sharing scant details about the reticent occupant of the house and puzzling over what could have happened.

The medical examiner’s office confirmed yesterday that the bones found on Friday in the house were human remains. After an autopsy, the identity of the remains and a cause of death had not been determined, according to Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office.

Yesterday, neighbors remembered a woman who walked slowly and used two canes when she was seen, which was rarely. Those on the block said that in the past the woman had depended upon people next door for help carrying groceries and shoveling snow, but that those neighbors had since moved.

“She was a loner,” said Therese Mulligan, 48, who lives on the block. “She didn’t want much help.”

Vivian Brown, also a resident of the block, said she called the police two winters ago to say that she was concerned because snow was piled high on the porch steps along with stacks of mail. Ms. Brown said that officers searched through waist high piles of refuse inside the house for about 30 minutes before leaving.

Ms. Mulligan said that she, too, had asked the police to look into the house around the same time. Officers showed up, she said, and looked inside but emerged saying they had found nothing amiss.