A new homeowner who bought a Connecticut property “as is” at a foreclosure auction discovered three sets of skeletal remains inside the home, prompting a police investigation and raising uncertainty over whether the foreclosure sale can proceed.
The first sighting came in the late afternoon of June 14, after a new owner stepped into a house he’d just purchased through a foreclosure auction.
Three sets of skeletal remains were found inside the residence on Stanwich Lane in Burlington, Connecticut, according to local authorities. Connecticut State Police said troopers responded at about 4:46 p.m. after receiving a report of human remains in the home.
The buyer had obtained the property “as is.” Police said the discovery did not appear to involve any criminal element and described it as an isolated incident with no danger to the public.
Connecticut State Police said detectives from the agency’s Western District Major Crime Unit are leading the investigation.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not identified who the three individuals were or determined a cause of death. Police also said there was “no indication of anything suspicious” and “no indication of any criminal aspect” connected to the case. As of June 18. authorities had not publicly shared the identities of the three individuals. and they also had not said how long the remains had been on the property.
State police said additional information will be released once the individuals are identified and when the medical examiner determines their cause of death.
Outside the investigation, the discovery has immediately complicated the legal path of the property itself.
Property records show the home was purchased by a couple in 2019. Foreclosure proceedings began in August 2025, and the property was later approved for a public auction.
NBC Connecticut reported that the foreclosure auction was held on June 6. with the home sold in “as is” condition. and bidders did not have access to the home’s interior before the sale. In comments to NBC Connecticut. Chris Thogmartin. the court-appointed attorney overseeing the foreclosure sale. said requests for interior access before the auction went unanswered.
“I always send out a letter … saying, listen, there’s a foreclosure auction scheduled. It would be helpful for the bidders to have interior access,” Thogmartin said. “We never got a response to that, which is not unusual.”
In a court filing. Thogmartin wrote that the bodies were found in “an advanced state of decomposition. ” suggesting they had been inside the home for an extended period. He argued that the discovery could potentially affect the validity of the foreclosure judgment. depending on the identities of the deceased and when they died.
Thogmartin asked the court for guidance on several points, including whether the winning bidder’s $82,000 deposit should be returned if the sale is ultimately canceled.
The timing of the discovery—and the fact that it was uncovered in a home sold without interior access—has put pressure on the foreclosure process at the exact moment it was moving forward.
USA TODAY reached out to Thogmartin for additional comment on the status of the sale and to inquire about whether he has received further guidance from the court. The Connecticut State Police were also contacted for an update on the case.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT.
Connecticut State Police Burlington Connecticut foreclosure auction remains found Stanwich Lane court filing $82 000 deposit Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Western District Major Crime Unit “as is” condition