A Sad Sad story

The Associated Press

December 26, 2005, 2:17 PM EST

A 67-year-old woman put her husband in a suitcase after he died in their Upper East Side apartment and left him there until neighbors noticed the smell, police said Monday.

Police arrived at the woman's apartment Monday and found her 87-year-old husband in the suitcase, Det. John Sweeney said.

The woman appeared confused about how long her husband had been dead, said police.

"He wanted to be buried in Arizona. She wanted to take him to Arizona to be buried," Sweeney said.

Police arrived after neighbors complained of a smell coming from the apartment. The couple's name wasn't being released until police could find other family to notify.

Police didn't suspect the woman of a crime, and said the husband had a heart condition.

An autopsy was planned on Tuesday to determine a cause of death, said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city Medical Examiner's office.

*** Can you imagine her trying to carry that bag on an airplane?!