RIDGEWOOD — An 85-year-old woman was found dead and wrapped in plastic bags at her Ridgewood home, police said.
Her grandson has been arrested.
Police, who had been asked to check up on Erika Kraus-Breslin, met her grandson, Christopher Fuhrer, 30, at the door of the home on 65th Street, near 68th Avenue, about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, an NYPD spokesman said.
Fuhrer directed officers to the bedroom where they found the body, an NYPD spokesman said.
Kraus-Breslin was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The Medical Examiner will determine her cause of death.
Fuhrer was taken into custody, police said. He's been charged with not reporting a death to a health officer, improper burial and not having a permit to bury or remove a body, officials said.
He hadn't been arraigned as of Thursday morning.
Neighbors said Fuhrer had moved in with his grandmother within the past five years.
"He'd come and go very late at night," said Tony Gizzard, 72, who lives across the street.
"He'd go to 7-Eleven and come back with a bag of food. He's very tall. He didn't say much to anybody. He would never say 'hi' to the neighbors."
"He was taking care of her. He'd only come out at night," said a 73-year-old neighbor who gave his name as Artie.
"He really didn't talk to anyone. We gave him some Stop and Shop cards a couple years ago to help him with his money. It's weird."
Neighbors called the discovery "macabre" but hadn't noticed anything amiss beforehand.
"I've rarely seen her," said neighbor Lizbeth Gomez, 23.
"She rarely came out of the house. I saw the young man coming and going, but he didn't seem out of the ordinary.
"It's terrible. It's pretty sad. It's heartbreaking."
