A third person found inside the foreclosed Stanwich Lane home remains unidentified as DNA testing continues.
BURLINGTON, CT — Connecticut officials have identified two of three people whose skeletal remains were found June 14 inside a foreclosed Burlington home as Sally Ann Cash and her son, Brian Cash, while investigators continue working to identify the third person.
The identifications mark the first major public break in a case that began when a new owner entered the Stanwich Lane house after buying it at a foreclosure auction. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not determined how the three people died. State police have said they found no sign of an immediate threat to the public and no clear criminal aspect, but the case remains under investigation.
State police said the remains were discovered at 4:46 p.m. June 14 after the buyer went into the home, which had recently been sold in as-is condition. Officials identified two of the people as Sally Ann Cash, 54, and Brian Cash, her adult son. Sally Ann Cash was listed as one of the homeowners of the property. The third person had not been identified as of Monday, and officials said DNA testing was still underway. “The causes of death are pending,” officials said in announcing the identifications.
The home, reported as 7 Stanwich Lane, had been tied to Paul and Sally Anne Cash since a 2019 purchase. Local and court records described a large, four-bedroom house built in 2002 on more than two acres in a wooded part of Burlington, a Hartford County town west of the capital. The property later entered foreclosure after mortgage payments stopped in late 2024. Records cited in the case show the home was sold at auction on June 6, eight days before the remains were found. The buyer had not gone inside before the sale.
Officials have not said when the three people died or whether all died at the same time. State police have described the remains as skeletal, a condition that suggested the bodies had been in the home for some time. The medical examiner’s office is responsible for ruling on the cause and manner of death. Detectives from the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad are working with Burlington police, the medical examiner and the state forensic laboratory. Authorities have not released details about where inside the home the remains were found.
The discovery has raised questions about how long the house had sat empty or nearly empty before the auction. Reports from the foreclosure process described overgrown vegetation and limited access to the property. Neighbors told news outlets they had not seen the residents for an extended period. A fire alarm brought the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department to the home on May 23, but crews did not enter because the property appeared vacant and there was no smoke or fire. Fire officials later returned after the remains were found and checked for carbon monoxide.
Fire department call logs showed earlier medical calls to the Stanwich Lane address in 2021, including two in late November and one in December of that year. Those calls have not been publicly tied to the deaths. Investigators have also not said whether the third person may be Paul Cash, another family member, a guest or someone else. A relative of Sally Ann Cash told a local outlet the family had become isolated, adding another layer to the question of why no deaths were reported before the foreclosure sale.
The foreclosure is now part of the wider fallout from the discovery. Christopher H. Thogmartin, the court-appointed attorney handling the sale, filed a motion asking the court for guidance after the remains were found. The filing raised questions about whether the foreclosure judgment and auction could be affected if one or more owners died before key steps in the case. The auction buyer’s deposit was reported at $82,000, and the court could have to decide whether the sale stands or whether money must be returned.
No charges had been announced as of Tuesday, and police had not named any suspect. State police said earlier that the case appeared isolated and that investigators had not found evidence pointing to foul play. Those statements did not close the case. The pending medical findings, the DNA testing on the third person and any review of property, utility and court records could shape the next steps. Officials have not given a date for when the third identification or the death rulings will be complete.
The scene on Stanwich Lane has drawn attention because the deaths were found only after a legal sale, not during an emergency call or a welfare check. The house had warning signs and heavy growth outside, and people involved in the sale had described it as difficult to inspect. The new owner’s discovery turned what looked like a routine foreclosure into a death investigation involving a mother, her son and one still-unnamed person. Residents nearby have been left with few answers beyond the names now released.
The case remains open as of June 23. Investigators are waiting on DNA results for the third person and final rulings from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on how Sally Ann Cash, Brian Cash and the unidentified person died.
Author note: Last updated June 23, 2026.