A Medaryville man reportedly left behind large amounts of garbage at his home when he passed away over two years ago, with no heirs willing to claim it. Now, town officials are asking for advice from the Pulaski County Commissioners on what to do next.
Robert Dahlquist, 88, died at his home on February 17, 2015, according to an obituary from Frain Mortuary. Town Council President Robert Schultz told the commissioners Monday that the backyard of Dahlquist’s former Main Street home is still filled with various items, stretching about 200 feet behind the house. “He was a hoarder, I guess, is the name I would use, and bad,” Schultz said. “It’s a real mess back there. This thing has about – I’m just guessing, I didn’t count them all – but there’s at least 100 tires back there. That’s just one thing. There’s three trailers back there. There’s seven vehicles. All the trailers are full. The house is full.”
Schultz said he contacted Pulaski County Building Inspector Doug Hoover about getting the property condemned, but so far, neither of them has been able to locate a current owner. County Attorney Kevin Tankersley encouraged Hoover to keep investigating, suggesting that he contact Frain Mortuary to try to find who was responsible for making the funeral arrangements. “There’s most likely an heir out there, and even if there isn’t if you’re a creditor, you can open an estate,” Tankersley explained. “If somebody owes you money, you can open their estate. So you can get a court order to do certain things.”
He said an executor could be appointed, who would then be responsible for cleaning up the property. Schultz believes Dahlquist had enough money in an account at Lake City Bank to cover the cost of the cleanup, based on informal discussions with bank staff.
