Body of ‘wonderful’ woman, 75, found in house months after dying

Neighbours have paid tribute to a ‘wonderful’ pensioner whose body was discovered at her north London home months after she died.

Pepita Sakirecili, 75, also known as Pepita Garcia, was discovered after officers smashed open the door of her Tottenham home after concerns were raised by locals and ambulance crews were scrambled.

Her remains were recovered as friends from the community where she had lived for decades looked on.

She is believed to have died before Christmas but a cause of death is yet to be established.

Neighbour Jenny, 59, described her as a ‘wonderful’ woman originally from Spain who loved gardening and organised nights out for locals.

She told Metro: ‘She was a wonderful woman, we are heartbroken. She was originally from Spain and spoke Spanish and English.

‘We all used to go to the pub together from time to time and she organised us to go to a Spanish night in central London.

‘It was great fun and she was great fun. She was much lived around here. She liked gardening and would potter around the garden.’

She said Pepita had lived on Reynardson Road for decades, with her son.

Her life had been hit by tragedy with the death of a second son, Jenny said.

She added: ‘We really don’t know how she died. The last time I saw her was before Christmas and I thought it was unusual as I had not seen her out doing her Christmas shopping.

‘She lived with her son. The last time I saw her was when she was putting out her bins.

‘In the months before she had dramatically lost weight. She was quite a big lady but then lost loads of weight, maybe seven stone.

‘The police have interviewed all of us and asked for any footage of her on the street before she died. I hope they complete their investigation and get to the bottom of it.’

Neighbours have left a flower outside the pensioner’s home with an RIP message.

One neighbour told Metro: ‘She was a lovely lady, always said hello and lived there years. She was part of the fabric of the community.

‘It’s a tragedy for us around here. I think she was on medication for some condition but really it’s a mystery to us what actually happened.

‘The first we knew the police were smashing in the door. They later bright her body out.

‘It was very grim, there wasn’t much of her left, her body had been left so long. Police have been very cagey, we just don’t know what to think.’

Detectives  have said they want to trace a taxi driver who may have footage of her struggling into her home with building materials after he became worried about her physical state.

Det Insp Barry Hart of the Metropolitan Police said he wanted to ‘build a picture’ of what happened.

‘I am particularly keen to trace a taxi driver who drove Pepita to the address in Reynardson Road in August 2024 and witnessed Pepita struggling to lift plywood and other building supplies that she had bought,’ he said.

‘We believe the driver was concerned about her welfare and may have recorded Pepita on their mobile phone.’

He also asked anyone with mobile phone or dashcam footage, taken in Reynardson Road between 16 October and 31 January, to contact police.

A 40-year-old man from Reynardson Road, Tottenham, has been charged with preventing a lawful burial.

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