Twin brothers, 79, found dead in Brooklyn home
Elderly twin brothers were found dead in their Brooklyn home, likely from natural causes, police said Monday.
Elliot and Jerry Wolfire, 79, were last seen Feb. 14.
When police, responding to a call from their concerned sister, went to their home on Louisa St. near Dahill Road in Kensington on Saturday afternoon, they took down the front door and found both siblings dead inside.
Elliot was discovered in a bedroom while Jerry was in the bathroom.
“They were very very reserved,” said neighbor Olivia Olivares, 26. “They were most of the time alone. One of them would go out and the other would wait for him to get back.”
Both bodies were decomposed, police said, and some rooms were packed with belongings.
Olivares, who has lived beside the pair for over a decade, said she never saw any signs of hoarding.
“That’s really surprising,” Olivares said. “I saw them always take out the trash whenever the garbage should come out. If it were really bad, I would think that we would be able to smell it.”
An autopsy will determine the cause of death, though police said they do not suspect foul play.
Elliot was a former accountant for the IRS who investigated the Gambino crime family and had an interest in UFOs, while Jerry was more introverted and enjoyed doing handyman work around their house, according to a neighbor.
“Elliot used to say ‘Whenever my brother feels sick, I do too,’ ” said neighbor Joe Padilla, 67. “Jerry used to come out and talk and play with the kids. He wasn’t necessarily a people person but he was kind. They’re both good guys. They will be missed.”
“Elliot used to come in the garage,” Padilla added. “Anytime. We’d watch sports. He was the more social one,” he said, gesturing to a photo of himself with Elliot.
“[Jerry] painted all of this,” Padilla said, in front of the twin’s house. “They were both into the computers. They had these big computers, the ancient ones.”
He said hoarders.
Padilla, who has known them 12 years, said the similarities between the brothers were so striking that it took him a while to figure out they were two different people.
“I thought it was a joke, at first,” he said. “It’s ironic. They were born five minutes apart and died 5 feet apart.”
Close friend and neighbor Lily Matos, 64, said she knew the twins for 15 years, adding that she always “watched over them” to make sure they stayed safe.
“I’m just beside myself,” she said. “I don’t understand what happened. They’ve lived there all their lives. They were adorable and lovable. They were both just wonderful people.” the brothers were not