Over 80 dogs removed from filthy Brooklyn home after woman found dead
Sonia Rincon spoke to neighbors who said they are both horrified and relieved.
MILL BASIN, Brooklyn (WABC) — Over 80 dogs were removed from a home in Brooklyn after a woman was found dead on Thursday, according to Animal Care Centers of NYC.
Police responded to the house on East 66th Street. in Mill Basin for a 911 call reporting that one of the two sisters who lived there was dead.
When police arrived, they found a 73-year-old woman unconscious and unresponsive on the ground floor of the home. EMS arrived and pronounced the woman dead.
But the woman wasn’t the only shocking discovery inside the home.
One by one, more than 80 small dogs were rescued and removed from the home with the assistance of the animal-care group and the ASPCA. Many of the dogs appeared to be neglected.
For years, neighbors called it a house of horrors and felt helpless.
“What a smell! So toxic, that you can’t even breathe,” said neighbor Leeora Bernstein.
Video and photos showed the horrible living conditions inside the home.
“And we tried to call the police. We tried,” said neighbor Adam Greenberg.
They say police came many times, as recently as three weeks ago, getting on a ladder and looking in the window when no one answered the door.
“They took photos, they said I see dead dogs by the staircase. I see maybe 40 dogs, 50 dogs, I see puppies everywhere,” Greenberg said.
But there was nothing they could do.
“The cops used to come, they used to knock on the door, and they were not let in,” said neighbor Alex Zinger. “They said they had no probable cause. And they were not able to kick the door in or anything like that.”
That was until Thursday, when the 911 call was made.
Neighbors are both horrified and relieved now. They say the dogs sometimes tried to escape the house, but otherwise, never got outside.
“Always barking, screaming, fighting,” Bernstein said. “I just can’t believe, over 80 dogs? That’s insane.”
Neighbors were also troubled by the fact that the home didn’t seem to have electricity. That also meant there was no air conditioning during the heat wave this week.
Neighbors wonder if the heat, combined with the obviously filthy conditions inside, contributed to the woman’s death.
“I thought originally that the house was abandoned, because it’s in bad shape,” said neighbor Susan Scognamiglio. “But then we heard the dogs barking.”
At night, they say two women inside would use flashlights.
“They had their flashlights on the whole time, and we always got spooked at night,” Zinger said.
Neighbors say they hope all the dogs, and the surviving woman who lives in the house, get the help they need.
“It’s hard to take care of one dog,” Nicole Scognamiglio said. “How do you have 80? As much as you love them.”
The cause of the woman’s death has not yet been determined.
Everything police found inside Ed Gein’s house when they arrested him
Ed Gein’s house was raided by police after his arrest
Real photos taken of the inside of Ed Gein’s ‘House of Horrors’ reveal the chilling scene that police found when they arrested him.
Ed Gein has re-entered the public consciousness almost 70 years on from his arrest, in large part due to the Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
The Ryan Murphy true crime anthology drama covers famous serial killers, having previously done seasons on Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez Brothers.
Gein was arrested in 1957 and later admitted to robbing graves, mutilating dead bodies, and murdering two women, though it is suspected he killed even more.
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Netflix’s new series has been wildly controversial, suggesting that he killed an extra four people than he actually did and including numerous details which were simply considered conjecture.
One of the aspects that was so widely covered that Netflix has mostly accurate though, is the scene police found when they entered Gein’s house.
The scenes from the Netflix show are based on real life (Netflix)
Ed Gein’s house was filled with horrifying furniture and clothes made from human skin
The inside of Gein’s house revealed one of his other most disturbing crimes as he was found to have robbed graves and used the bodies to make furniture and clothes.
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These included bowls made from skulls, chairs made from skin and nipples, and a full woman’s suit, which he wears to horrifying effect in the show.
In addition to this, the following was found in his ‘House of Horrors’: Skulls used as decorations, a wastebasket and chair seats made from skin, nine women’s vulvas in a shoe box, two teenage girls’ vulvas, a belt made up of body parts, masks made from faces, and leggings made of human skin.
Ed Gein’s real house being investigated by police (Bettmann via Getty Images)
Gein admitted to two murders, with their remains being found at the house
Gein was arrested after his murder of Bernice Worden – a local woman who ran a hardware store – with her missing persons search leading police to the serial killer.
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Her body was found decapitated, dressed like a deer, and hung upside down in his barn. Her head was found in a sack, and her heart in a plastic bag.
There were conflicting reports as to whether Gein asked her on a date.
She was reported missing by her son Frank after entering her store and finding blood on the floor, leading to Gein’s capture.
Gein’s house was later burned down for fear of it turning into a tourist attraction (Bettmann via Getty Images)
Gein’s other confirmed victim was Mary Hogan, a woman who ran a local bar.
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When police arrested Gein he admitted to her murder, with her skull amongst the horrors found at his house.
These horrific crimes were what led Gein to inspire some of the world’s most famous movie serial killers, including Norman Bates in Psycho and Leatherface in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
This is a large focus of Netflix’s Monster, which looks not only at his life, but the ongoing effect his life had.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available to stream on Netflix now.Featured Image Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images
Topics: Ed Gein, True Crime, Netflix, Crime, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin
Updated 16:15 6 Oct 2025 GMT+1Published 15:37 15 Sep 2025 GMT+1
breaking
First trailer for Netflix’s new Monster series shows Charlie Hunnam naked as disturbing serial killer
Charlie Hunnam stars as Ed Gein in the latest Monster series
Charlie Hunnam stars as Ed Gein in the latest trailer for Monster, an anthology true crime series on Netflix.
The streaming platform has previously covered serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and parent-murderers Lyle and Erik Menendez in the past, but they have now moved on to Edward Gein in their third instalment, an American murderer, suspected serial killer, and body snatcher.
Also known as ‘the Butcher of Plainfield’, Gein was known for his crimes in and around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, came under the spotlight in the 1950s when it was discovered that he had exhumed corpses from graveyards before cutting off parts of their skin or body to keep as human trophies.
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British actor Hunnam plays the titular character, and you can view the trailer for Monster: The Ed Gein Story, here:
Films such as Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs drew inspiration from the true story of Gein himself, a notorious serial killer known for digging up corpses.
This latest season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s critically acclaimed series will look at the story behind the criminal, played by Hunnam, known for his roles in Sons of Anarchy and The Gentlemen.
In the final moments of the trailer, which shows Hunnam as Gein wearing the faces of some of his victims, he breaks the fourth wall and chillingly says: “You’re the one who can’t look away.”
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The series will examine how isolation, psychosis, and an obsession with his mother, Augusta (Laurie Metcalf), turned Gein into a heinous murderer.
Brennan, who wrote every episode, pointed out to Tudum: “It’s really mind-blowing how influential one strange man in the middle of Wisconsin in a barn can be. That’s just the world we live in, that he lit this fuse that just continued popping off and set in motion this continuous topping of really intense, bizarre, strange imagery.”
Hunham strips down in one of many shocking scenes in the trailer (Netflix)
Hunnam said he read and watched everything related to the subject to get into character, even losing 30 pounds to achieve a lighter frame more accurate to Gein.
He explained: “I spent a lot of time thinking about where his energy was, that he’s not particularly confident or, like, front-foot type of energy.
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“How to not take up a lot of space, not to be sort of front and center and too confident in my physicality was really important.”
Addison Rae also starts in the upcoming series as Evelyn, a babysitter who was said to be one of Gein’s victims.
She called herself a ‘big fan’ of Hunnam, adding: “I’ve never worked on a production that felt so intentional in every piece. And I think that is really inspiring to be around.”
Monster: The Ed Gein Story will be available to stream on Netflix on 3 October.
