GARY, Ind. -- A Gary woman has been arrested after police found her disabled cousin dead in a storage container in his home.

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Images: House Found In State Of Squalor

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Darcel Pettus faces three felony neglect charges, reported Chicago television station WMAQ.

Police said Pettus took over the care of Victor Thomas, 42, after Pettus' mother's recent death 18 months ago. But police said Thomas -- who had a history of mental and physical disabilities -- quickly deteriorated under Pettus' care.

Police said Thomas was found Tuesday wrapped in plastic and placed in a storage container in the basement of the home. He weighed only 46 pounds, WMAQ reported.

"I'm surprised it didn't catch no one's attention sooner than now," neighbor Patrick McIntosh said.

Police said the home was in a state of squalor, with rotting food, adult diapers and dead rodents on the floor. Officials condemned the home, the station reported.

"There was a foul odor. It was pretty bad," Gary police Detective Thomas Decanter said.

"We were getting all these weird smells all the time and we thought it was a dog, but we didn't see no dog," neighbor Carl Staples said. "We knew he (Thomas) was here, but we never seen him come out or anything."

Police said Pettus used to work as a home health care worker, but was fired from her job. Police said she collected Thomas' Social Security checks even after his death, WMAQ reported.

It's not clear how long Thomas was dead before he was found.