An Emmy-winning set designer, who had been missing since September and was known for hoarding, was found dead at her New York City home under a sizable pile of trash.
Police say Evelyn Sakash, 66, was discovered Tuesday afternoon in her kitchen by her sister and a crew hired to clean the house in the borough of Queens.
A missing persons report filed with New York City police stated Sakash was last seen in September 2020. There has been no determination of a cause of death or whether foul play was suspected.
Sakash’s TV and film credits include “Orange Is the New Black,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” 1990’s “Mermaids,” 2014’s “Still Alice” and 2003’s “Between the Lines,” for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.
Sakash’s sister, Ellen Brown, told the New York Daily News she didn’t want her sister to be remembered for how she was found.
“She had a full life,” Brown said. “She was so extraordinarily talented. She was a brilliant mind.”
A GoFundMe account that was set up in December to pay for a search has now been converted to a fund for funeral expenses with a goal of $10,000. On Wednesday night, it had raised more than $7,000.
“This was clearly in effect for a long time,” Brown said of Sakash. “She sometimes kept people at bay. The headline says ‘Queens hoarder,’ but that’s not who she is.”