I fought back tears when I read about Lucie McNulty, the Wells woman who died in her home about 2½ years ago but whose decomposed body was discovered only recently. I thought: “How sad and how deplorable.”

I refuse to accept the police department’s contention that “there wasn’t much we could do.” If there were genuine concern for Lucie McNulty’s welfare, the police could have revisited her home after their initial visit in July 2013 and kept revisiting until they knew for certain that no harm had befallen her.

It wouldn’t have been complicated for police to do repeated well-being checks at the home of Lucie McNulty, whose body wasn’t discovered until 2½ years after her death, a reader says. 2016 Press Herald file photo/Shawn Patrick Ouellette

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Her home sits just off a routinely patrolled area. It would have taken very little effort to follow up on her well-being.

There was clearly reasonable cause to suspect that neglect or misfortune had befallen Ms. McNulty. She was elderly and living alone, her shades were pulled down, mail was piling up and there were phone calls to the police from neighbors and a former co-worker expressing grave concerns.

I believe the police, at minimum, had a moral duty to report to Adult Protective Services a suspicion that Ms. McNulty could need assistance. That action would have initiated an investigation that likely would have led to the discovery of her body months after she passed, not years. Instead, I believe the police took the path of least resistance and too easily dismissed the matter as not worth additional time and effort.

The Wells Police Department’s stated mission on their website is to “protect and to serve the people of the town of Wells, Maine, with impartiality, integrity and courage.”

In this matter, I believe they failed in that mission and owe the citizens of Wells an apology, along with assurances that steps will be taken to ensure that nothing like this will ever happen again in the town of Wells.

Richard Campbell

Scarborough

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