Connecticut State Police say the remains have not been identified and no cause of death has been determined.
BURLINGTON, Conn. — Connecticut State Police are investigating after a new buyer found the skeletal remains of three people Sunday inside a foreclosed home on Stanwich Lane that had been sold at auction as an as-is property.
The discovery has left police, town officials, relatives and a court-appointed sale official sorting through unanswered questions about who died, when they died and whether the foreclosure sale can stand. State police said the case appears isolated, with no known danger to the public, but the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had not determined the cause or manner of death as of Thursday.
Troopers were called to 7 Stanwich Lane at 4:46 p.m. Sunday after the new buyer entered the house and found human remains inside, state police said. The home had been sold through a foreclosure auction earlier in June after a court case involving the listed owners, Paul and Sally Anne Cash. Burlington First Selectman Doug Thompson said he had been told there was no danger to the community. “I really don’t want to get into any speculation,” Thompson said. “Let the police do their investigation.” Police said the remains were skeletal, and the identities of the three people had not been confirmed.
The property sits off a private road in Burlington, a town in Hartford County west of Hartford. Local reports described the house as hard to see from nearby properties, with an unkempt lawn, tall grass and overgrown shrubs near the porch. State police said the buyer purchased the structure at foreclosure auction as is, a term that usually means the buyer accepts the property in its existing condition. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner received the remains from the Stanwich Lane residence, but had not released findings on the cause of death. Police said there was no indication of anything suspicious and no indication of a criminal aspect. Detectives from the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Unit are handling the investigation.
Court and town records have placed the home at the center of a foreclosure case that began in 2025. The house was previously linked to Paul and Sally Anne Cash, who bought the property in 2019. Records cited in the case showed mortgage payments stopped in late 2024, and foreclosure proceedings followed. A state marshal reported trouble reaching anyone at the property as the case moved through court. The home later went to auction. Officials have not said whether any of the remains belonged to the Cashes. A relative, Corinne Handy, said Sally Cash had become distant from family over the years and that relatives did not know the couple had moved to Connecticut until police contacted them after the discovery.
The discovery also may affect the foreclosure sale. Christopher H. Thogmartin, the court-appointed attorney handling the sale, asked a judge for guidance after the remains were found. The question before the court is whether the sale process remains valid if the people connected to the property may have died before key parts of the foreclosure case were completed. The auction was reported as a court-approved sale, with a buyer deposit already paid. No final public ruling had been reported Thursday on whether the sale will proceed, be paused or be unwound. The legal issue is separate from the death investigation, but both depend on identification and timing findings from the medical examiner and state police.
There were earlier signs that the home had drawn attention. Burlington emergency officials said firefighters had responded to the same address May 23 for an audible alarm. The home appeared vacant at that time, and firefighters did not enter after finding no sign of fire or smoke. After the remains were discovered Sunday, firefighters returned to check for carbon monoxide. State police have not released evidence showing what role, if any, conditions inside the house played in the deaths. Officials also have not said how long the remains had been in the home. Neighbors told local reporters they had seen little activity at the property for a long period, though one person recalled seeing an older man take out trash months earlier.
Handy said her aunt had become deeply private and socially anxious, and that family members had little contact with her in recent years. She said she had not known the couple moved to Connecticut. Public records showed few recent traces for the Cashes beyond the property and foreclosure case. Police have not released the name of the third person whose remains were found. Local workers and neighbors expressed shock that three people could go unnoticed inside a house for so long. Jaden Slipsky, a local pool cleaner, said he was stunned that no one had checked on the people sooner, whether family, friends or neighbors.
State police said they will release more information after the medical examiner determines the manner of death and confirms the identities of the three people. As of Thursday, June 18, the Stanwich Lane case remained under investigation by major crime detectives, with the foreclosure sale awaiting further court direction.
Author note: Last updated June 18, 2026.