EP 141: The Collyer Brothers

WE ARE BACK FOR SEASON FIFTEEN!

This week on Hashtag History, we will be discussing the Collyer Brothers. Homer and Langley Collyer were two brothers, living a rather interesting life in Harlem, New York City, in the early-1900s. You see, they were the OG HOARDERS. And when I tell you they were hoarders, I do mean that they were HOARDERS. Not only were they hoarders but they also set up traps throughout their house to crush any potential intruders.

We’re not just talking about these brothers today because they lived an interesting – and disgusting – lifestyle…though that is certainly a highlight of the story. No, the primary reason we are talking about them is because, in March of 1947, they would both go missing under exceptionally mysterious – and confusing – circumstances. On March 21, 1947, an anonymous caller would reach out to the local police, complaining that they smelled what they believed to be decomposition of a body coming from the Collyer home. When the police arrived, they struggled for FIVE HOURS to get inside the building and find the source of the smell, but once they did, they would realize that it was coming from the body of the older brother, Homer. Based on the condition of his body, it looked as though he had been dead for less than a day at this point.

His brother Langley, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. And it was quickly assumed that Langley was actually the killer.

This is the story we will be diving into this week and I can guarantee that the answer is not the one you are likely expecting.

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- Rachel and Leah