QUEENS, N.Y. — The body of an Emmy-winning production designer and known hoarder who had been missing more than six months was found dead in her Queens, New York, home on Tuesday.
Evelyn Sakash, 66, was found buried under a clutter pile on on her kitchen floor at around 4:15 p.m., a police spokesperson told WPIX.
Sakash was found by her sister, who had hired a cleaning crew to clear out the woman’s Collee Point home and look for her, the TV station reported.
Police confirmed to People magazine that the medical examiner’s office is working to determine a cause of death, but authorities do not suspect foul play.
Ellen Brown, Sakash’s sister, told People that her sister had “helped so many of her friends.”
“Every one of her friends would say she was the first person to step up if someone needed help. She was so generous with people … I want all of that to be the final testament, and not that she was found in a bad condition,” Brown told the outlet.
Sakash’s 30-year career as a set decorator and production designer included work for shows such as “Orange is the New Black” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” She won a Daytime Creative Arts Emmy for outstanding achievement in art direction/set decoration/scenic design in 2003 for her work in “Between the Lions,” People reported.
Her film credits included “Still Alice,” “Mermaids,” “Taxi” and “Made in America,” the outlet reported.