TEXAS CITY – A Texas City woman was in serious condition at the Mainland Medical Center Tuesday after police said she was found on the brink of death in her home.

On Friday, crime scene investigators forced their way inside Linda Sainz’s Texas City home, only to be forced out by the smell.

“It was absolutely deplorable," said Texas City Police Captain Brian Goetschius.

Police said it smelled like a decomposing body. But instead of finding a dead person, they found what they called a "case of neglect."

"Linda Sainz had bed sores. There were maggots on her back. She was face up when officers arrived so she was laying on them. It was just absolutely horrendous," said Goetschius.

Paramedics found Sainz, a 62-year-old former Galveston County Sheriff's Office dispatcher, laying on the floor of her living room.

Dispatchers said the person who called 911 to report Sainz's condition claimed to be her son.  He told them that he lived there with her, but by the time paramedics arrived, he was gone.

Police have yet to speak to Sainz’s son to find out exactly what happened to his mother.

According to the police report, the caller told dispatchers that Sainz was "bad sick," couldn't speak and did not have the strength to lift her head.

“The circumstances with the 911 call were unusual. I think this whole case is unusual," said Goetschius.

Neighbors said that they, too, would like to know what happened.  They said they hadn’t seen Sainz in months.

Investigators said they had never been called out to Sainz's house before last Friday. They declined to name any suspects in the case.