Shopaholic pensioner dies in her home after being buried under mountain of unopened items

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:28 PM on 08th January 2009

Shopaholic: Joan Cunnane was buried alive under 3ft of stuffed suitcases

A shopaholic pensioner was crushed to death under a mountain of unopened items she was hoarding, it emerged today.

Joan Cunnane, 77, who had suffered a 16-year shopping addiction, was found after police spent almost two days searching her cluttered bungalow.

The spinster, a devout Catholic who lived alone, was buried alive under a 3ft-deep mound of stuffed suitcases after they fell on top of her.

Her home in Stockport, Greater Manchester, was crammed so high with possessions that an expert search team and environmental health officer had to be called in.

Miss Cunnane had to clear a 2ft-wide path though her collection of brand new consumer valuables to get around her £180,000 bungalow, her best friend Roy Moran said today.

Unused items included electrical gadgets, clothing, umbrellas, candles and ornaments.

Even her compact Rover 100 car was filled to the brim with her stockpile of goods.

Mr Moran, also 77, said: ‘She was an only child, and had never married.

‘I think it just gave her pleasure to buy things, none of it was really essential. I once asked her how many scarves she had.

Stuffed: Miss Cunnane's bungalow where her garage is seen piled with items

‘She said, she thought about 300. I asked her why she needed that many.

She said, they were all different colours.

‘She brought everything - lots of clothes. It had been going on over 16 years from when she brought the property.

‘She went to John Lewis, Marks and Spencers and shopping malls because they are open late so she didn’t have to go home.’

Miss Cunnane, who was finally discovered dead yesterday, was last seen on Boxing Day, but was only reported missing on Tuesday by worried friends.

She went to Christmas dinner with Mr Moran at his home in Cheadle Hulme, near Stockport, before returning home.

Neighbours and friend became concened when they did not see her after Boxing day.

The alarm was raised on Tuesday after she failed to make a series of hospital appointments. Fears grew because her car which she always used to get about it in was also left on her drive.

Mr Moran said: ‘I went into the house after she went missing - I went in three times and couldn’t find her.

‘There was stuff in every room, it was so bad there were concerns about the police dogs going in.

‘There were thousands of videos. When I walked they all fell down. It was a death trap really.

‘I had seen her a lot over Christmas - we had been to a Christmas Day gathering but lost contact when she went home after that.’

Filled: Even Miss Cunnane's car was stuffed with her possessions

It took two days with two teams of six policemen removing stuff from her house to find her.

Greater Manchster Police say officers had to take extra care searching the bungalow in case it turned out to be a crime scene.

However, there are now not thought to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

‘She seemed very happy but she was concerned about her health,’ added Mr Moran, a retired hospital worker.

‘But she had the stamina to walk around the supermarkets. I don’t know where any family might be. I knew she sent 50 plus Christmas cards because I posted them for her.

‘This has been unexpected. She was a very pleasant woman with good morals and character and personality.’

Miss Cunnane, a former BT operator, attended church every week.

One neighbour said: ‘As far as I knew she had never missed church.

‘I had never been in her house but I had an idea what it was like because of her car - I don’t know how she saw out of the back of it because, it was so full of stuff.

‘Once she asked me for a favour - for me to help take the stuff out of the car to empty it. It took four hours.

‘There were all sorts - like six umbrellas, ornaments, pots, IKEA candle holders, an oil heater which was very heavy - and that was so the car could go in for an MOT.

‘We put the stuff tin the garage until the car came back. She would shop all over like Morrisons, John Lewis, IKEA - all over the place - mainly where she could use a trolley.

‘She would go to bring and buy sales and car boot sales. She was a private. She kept her self to herself even if you lived here, no-one really knew her.’

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: ‘An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death has been launched, and inquiries are ongoing.’