Police: 90-year-old living with 3 siblings' bodies

updated 6:11 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. - A 90-year-old woman well-liked by her neighbors apparently has been living in a house with the bodies of three siblings, one of whom may have been dead since the early 1980s, police say.

Police Cmdr. Tom Guenther says the bodies were found Friday in Evanston, a Chicago suburb, after authorities were called by a senior advocate.

The woman was taken to a hospital for observation. Her identity was not released.

Autopsies were planned but Guenther said police do not suspect foul play. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said it could be some time before causes of death can be determined because the deaths occurred so long ago.

Neighbors described the woman as alert and aware, and said she was well liked on their close-knit block of large, historic homes. She enjoyed gardening and shared her plants with others, they said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office identified the dead as Anita Bernstorff, who was last seen alive in May 2008, Frank Bernstorff, not seen alive since 2003, and Elaine Bernstorff, who was last seen alive in the early 1980s.

Anita Bernstorff was the eldest, born in 1910.

More from msnbc.com Red Tape: Now’s your chance to spy on Google Fact or fiction? ‘McCain’ Dems opposed health bill In slump-hit areas, suicide rates on the rise Is the swine flu shot as safe as regular vaccine? Scoop: Letterman extortion case heads to court Signs of the sacrifices of military life On Twitter: Breaking news updates | Weird and wild

MORE FROM LIFE

Life Section Front

Weakening Ida drenches Gulf Coast Dropout, 21, wins $8.55 million poker event Suicides raise worries about recession’s real cost Recession’s good news: Burglaries fall Trucker dies as rig plunges off S.F. bridge Philly transit system running as strike ends Utah girl’s pierced nose brings suspension Jobless: 10 percent is tougher than it used to be Life Section Front   Add Life headlines to your news reader: