Hermit actor ‘hid dead mother’s body with Febreze’

‘They had a very quiet, almost hermit-like life,’ family member says

An actor who was found dead alongside the body of his mother in New York City may have used Febreze to mask the smell of her body for several days, according to a report.

William Wedell, 64, and his 95-year-old mother, Agnes Wedell, were found dead in their apartment in Chelsea on Saturday during a wellness check, law enforcement sources and a family member told The New York Post.

Law enforcement sources told the newspaper on Sunday that William Wedell may have lived with the body for a number of days before his own death and used Febreze to mask the smell.

Sources reportedly told the newspaper that the 95-year-old woman had been in ill health and that police believe she died of natural causes and do not suspect foul play in the death of her son.

Agnes Wedell’s daughter, Julianna Wedell, told The Post that her mother had been sick for at least a month and that her brother said she had been declining.

Law enforcement sources reportedly told the newspaper that the medical examiner believes that Agnes Wedell had been dead for at least a week and her son was likely dead for two days.

Bottles of Febreze were found throughout the apartment, sources reportedly said.

“They had a very quiet, almost hermit-like life,” Julianna Wedell, 61, told The Post of her 95-year-old mother.

William Wedell was a small-time actor who appeared in movies such as It Could Happen To You with Nicholas Cage and Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors, the outlet said.

Julianna Wedell speculated that her brother may have had a heart attack, citing a history of a congenital heart condition in the family, however, they remain unsure.

“We’re still waiting to hear back from the medical examiner. He said they would contact us when they found the cause,” she told The Post.

Agnes Wedell moved from Illinois to live with her son, who was acting as her caretaker, in New York City 12 years ago, records reportedly show.

William Wedell, who was known as Bill by his family, had moved to New York years earlier, in the 1980s to pursue acting.