Sewer Service, Inflated Process Server Billings A Possibility For Recent Foreclosed Home In Which Dead Body Was Discovered In Garage

In Cape Canaveral, Florida, WESH-TV Channel 2 reports:

• Authorities have not yet been able to positively identify a body that was found in a foreclosed Brevard County townhome, but the remains are believed to be that of the owner, Kathryn Norris.

• Court records paint a muddy picture of a foreclosure case that moved quickly with little regard for what may have happened to Norris. "It's the typical sloppiness we see when it comes to the server process," said Orlando attorney Matt Englett, who represents homeowners in foreclosure cases. Englett reviewed Norris' foreclosure documents with WESH 2 News.

• The foreclosure on Norris' property was filed in February and ended just days ago with the sale of the townhome for $68,000. The new buyer, on his first inspection of the property after the sale, discovered the remains in the passenger side of a vehicle in the townhome's garage. Up until Norris' disappearance, sometime around September of 2009, records show she was up to date on her mortgage payments.

• Foreclosure documents in the case show a number of irregularities. For example, a company called ProVest submitted an affidavit of diligent search and inquiry which stated that it found no records of a drivers license or a vehicle in Norris' name. However, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the vehicle in Norris' garage was registered to her. ProVest was working for the Florida Default Law Group, which was working for Wells Fargo in the foreclosure case.

• Other documents show ProVest charged more than $854 for research, including billing for trying to reach two tenants, even though Norris lived alone. "Judges have allowed these banks and these attorneys to skate and skirt around the process, and that's why we're experiencing these problems," said Englett.

For the story, see Foreclosure Docs Questioned After Body's Discovery (Body Found By New Owner On Thursday).

In a related story, see Woman Found Dead In Foreclosed Home (Neighbors Say Owner Missing For More Than A Year).