CHESHIRE, Conn. (AP) The town of Cheshire has demolished the trash-filled house where a reclusive woman died under the tons of junk she had hoarded over years.

The Republican-American newspaper reports the town has agreed to spend $22,000 on the clean-up effort, which began Thursday with the demolition of Beverly Mitchell's former home on Winslow Street.

Mitchell's body was found in home's basement after a three-day search in June, under debris that had collapsed on top of her. The medical examiner ruled she suffocated.

The town decided to demolish the home and clean the site after health officials declared it a hazard.

Keith Erickson, the owner of Cheshire-based Excavation Technologies, tells the New Haven Register the house was filled from floor to ceiling with garbage, which filled several 40-foot dumpsters.