Today in History - March 21: Brother starves to death after hoarder killed by own booby trap
Police were called to the home of an eccentric pair of brothers in New York on March 21, 1947.
A man who identified himself as "Charles Smith" called the precinct reporting a terrible smell and was sure there was a body insist.
The home belonged to the Collyer Brothers, a mysterious pair who were rarely seen by the public but the subject of myth among their Harlem neighbours.
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Police come into the Collyer home via a window. Getty
Rumours had spread that the pair's brownstone was an opulent mansion inside.
For years nobody had seen Homer Collyer, and his brother Langley only left the house after midnight to scrounge for food.
When police forced their way into the home, they found the opposite of what was rumoured.
Instead they found the house was floor-to-ceiling with old books, newspapers, broken furniture and other junk.
The home was essentially a labyrinth of tunnels, with officers having to squeeze through any gaps to make any progress.
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Reporters look through some of the junk from the Collyer home. Getty
It took police five hours of digging to uncover Homer Collyer's body.
An autopsy found Collyer had died of starvation and heart disease ten hours before his body was found.
His brother Langley was nowhere to be found.
Police theorised Langley was the one who called in to report the death before fleeing.
But when he failed to turn up for Homer's funeral, police became suspicious.
Two thousand curious locals waited outside as tonnes of junk was moved from the home.
Nearly three weeks later, Langley's body was found.
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The home was essentially a labyrinth of junk when police arrived. Getty
He was just three metres away from where Homer had died, in a 60cm-tunnel surrounded by junk.
It became apparent the source of the terrible smell had come from Langley's decomposing body as opposed to Homer's remains.
The men had apparently built a series of booby traps all around the home to kill or frighten off intruders.
But Langley had triggered one of his own traps, killing him.
Blind, paralysed and alone, Homer starved to death several weeks later.
The home in Harlem has since been demolished and is now the location of a small park named for the brothers.
The home is now the site of a pocket park in Harlem. Google Maps
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