Medical examiner explains how twins found decomposed in Chattanooga home died

Grass grows through a crack in the sidewalk at 506 Acorn Court where the bodies of twin brothers Andrew and Anthony Johnson were found Sunday.

The 63-year-old twin brothers found dead and decomposed in their home on March 29 relied so much on each other that when one died, the other could not take care of himself and also died, the Hamilton County medical examiner concluded today.

Anthony Larry Johnson and Andrew Gary Johnson could have sat dead in their home at 506 Acorn Court for as long as three years before they were discovered. The pair stopped paying city and county taxes in 2011.

The medical examiner now believes that Anthony Johnson died first, from heart disease. Anthony was the primary caretaker for Andrew Johnson, who had diabetes, was disabled and had severe vision problems, the medical examiner found.

Anthony ensured that his brother's glucose and insulin levels were controlled. But after Anthony died, Andrew could no longer monitor his own insulin levels and died when his diabetes spiraled out of control, the medical examiner concluded.