By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Skeletal remains of three unidentified individuals were discovered Sunday inside a foreclosed home on Stanwich Lane in Burlington, Connecticut, two weeks after firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the property and did not conduct a forced entry.
- Burlington Volunteer Fire Department responded on May 23 at 2:15 p.m. to an audible fire alarm reported by police; crews found no visible smoke or fire and determined the home appeared vacant.
- The property was purchased at foreclosure auction on June 6 by a new owner, who discovered the remains inside the home over the weekend.
- Property records show the home was purchased in 2019 by Paul and Sally Anne Cash, who reportedly ceased mortgage payments in late 2024 and failed to appear in court proceedings, resulting in a default judgment and forced sale.
- Connecticut State Police responded to the scene Sunday; as of Wednesday, authorities had not officially identified the three deceased individuals, and the cause and timeline of deaths remain under investigation.
BURLINGTON, CONN. — Call logs and incident reports document that firefighters responded to a foreclosed home on Stanwich Lane in May but did not enter the building, two weeks before skeletal remains of three people were discovered inside by a new property owner over the weekend.
The Burlington Volunteer Fire Department received a call on May 23 at 2:15 p.m. from the police department reporting an “audible alarm” at the vacant-appearing property. Upon arrival, firefighters conducted a walkaround of the home and observed no smoke or fire. The incident report noted the home “appeared vacant on the outside” and included signage identifying a management company to contact regarding emergencies.
A police officer at the scene contacted the management company representative and notified them of the sounding alarm. Unable to gain entry without causing structural damage to the building, firefighters did not conduct a forced entry and left the alarm sounding. The incident report concluded that “all fire units cleared without incident.”
The property went unoccupied following the May alarm response until it was purchased at a foreclosure auction on June 6 by a new owner. Property records show the home was acquired in 2019 by Paul and Sally Anne Cash. The couple apparently ceased mortgage payments of $3,255 monthly in late 2024, prompting foreclosure proceedings. They did not appear in court, resulting in a default judgment and court-ordered sale of the property.
The new owner discovered the skeletal remains inside the home over the weekend. Connecticut State Police responded to the property and recovered the remains. As of Wednesday, authorities had not officially identified the three deceased individuals, pending completion of identification processes.
Family members interviewed by authorities said Sally Anne Cash had become progressively withdrawn from family contact over recent years. Her niece, Corinne Handy, told investigators she did not know Cash and her husband had relocated to Connecticut until being contacted by police regarding the discovery.
The Burlington Volunteer Fire Department also responded to the property on Sunday, the day the remains were found, to conduct carbon monoxide testing. The metering showed no carbon monoxide present in the home. The timeline and cause of death remain under investigation by state authorities.