Search For Missing Woman Ends Where It Started

New Milford police said Monday that the body of a missing 68-year-old woman was found by her landlord under a mountain of debris in the apartment they first searched two months ago.

Alice Klee, who lived alone in the Main Street apartment, was last seen on Feb. 8. Police performed a preliminary search of what was described as a "hoarder's house," but did not find Klee's body, which was stuck between a bed and a wall, and buried beneath piles of trash, clothing and blankets, authorities said Monday.

Police focused their search on the woods near her home, where she was known to feed stray cats. Bergen County Police dogs searched the woods, but were not brought inside the apartment, authorities said.

Klee's body was discovered by her landlord, who had received court permission to begin emptying her apartment, police said.

"Her body was mummified, and the smell was masked by the stench of garbage and unattended cats," New Milford Police Chief Frank Papapietro said.

Papapietro said police are not allowed to perform an extensive search of a residence without suspicion of foul play. Otherwise, authorities require a warrant, Borough Attorney Marc Leibman said.

"The fourth amendment does not allow police to just search property based on a hunch," Leibman said.

Klee, who police said died of cardiac arrest, was reported missing by her landlord when he did not receive her rent, which was unusual for the tenant.

Papapietro said detectives found no signs of forced entry and located Klee's wallet. There was no activity on her bank cards.

"All of this suggests that there was no foul play involved," Papapietro said.

During an initial search in early February, at least one dead cat and several malnourished ones were found in the apartment. Papapietro said that the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was called in to tend to the animals. 

"It's a tragic story," Papapietro said. "But nothing we discovered in our search led us to believe that Alice Klee was buried beneath piles of trash and debris in her apartment."