Foul odor leads cops to gruesome scene inside Detroit home — and it gets worse a day later

Detroit police were trying to determine why a mother and her child were found dead inside their home Thursday when the case got far worse the next day.

Residents of the neighborhood called police after noticing a foul smell in the area for about a week and realizing it was coming from one home.

Investigators said the death of the 50-year-old mother and the 14-year-old boy might be a murder-suicide.

When police went at about 9:30 p.m. to check on the residents of the house on Stoepel Street, they found a dead woman and boy inside.

Police said that they contacted the family of the mother and boy and discovered that they had not seen the father of the boy in some time.

"On Friday, after speaking with the family, we learned the woman's husband had not been seen or heard from in years," said Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison.

When they returned to the home on Friday, they found the man's skeletal remains in the basement.

Investigators said the death of the 50-year-old mother and the 14-year-old boy might be a murder-suicide. All of the people appeared to have been killed by gunshot wounds, but the autopsy results are pending.

Neighbors told WXYZ-TV that they had not seen the husband in years and that the wife rarely left the home, except to occasionally receive a DoorDash food order.

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Samuel Jenkins, a resident of the neighborhood, said the incident had shocked residents.

"Everybody's heard about it in the neighborhood; it's a tragic situation," Jenkins told WXYZ.

"My heart goes out to that entire family," he added. "We just hope things get better for our community, and we as parents and grandparents work towards that goal."

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