One mystery solved, another hatched: Brothers died of natural causes but no one knows when

photo The house where the identical twin brothers were found dead, at 506 Acorn Court, is now for sale.
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506 Acorn Court

506 Acorn Court

Anthony Larry Johnson was wearing six shirts when he was found dead and decomposing in a recliner next to his identical twin brother, Andrew Gary Johnson.

Anthony was clad in a T-shirt, a flannel shirt, a striped shirt, a yellow paisley shirt, a green plaid shirt and a red-and-blue plaid shirt. He also wore a flannel jacket, pajama pants and two pairs of socks.

He wore that final outfit for years.

Anthony and Andrew's bodies sat unnoticed in their Hixson home for so long that they started to mummify before a concerned relative discovered the pair in March. On Wednesday, Hamilton County Medical Examiner James Metcalfe concluded that Anthony died first -- from heart disease -- and Andrew died later from uncontrolled diabetes.

Anthony was the primary caregiver for Andrew, who was disabled and had severe vision problems, according to the medical examiner's report.

Anthony ensured Andrew's glucose and insulin levels stayed in check.

But when Anthony died from heart disease, Andrew could not manage his diabetes without help and died when the disease spiraled out of control, the report concluded. Toxicology reports on the men found that neither had alcohol or drugs in their systems when they died.

Both men had long gray hair, gray mustaches and beards. Each was about 6 feet tall.

Authorities aren't sure exactly when the twins died or how much time passed after Anthony died before Andrew followed him. The brothers stopped paying their county and city taxes in 2011.

The Johnsons lived a private, hermitlike life, police and neighbors say.

"For as long as I've lived here, they never came out," said neighbor Linda Maffett. "The only time I ever saw them come out was to rake the leaves -- and that was right after I moved here in 1995."

After the house at 506 Acorn Court went quiet, neighbors mowed the lawn when the grass grew too tall, the postman stopped delivering mail and cobwebs spread across the outside of the home.

In 2011, police were called to the home for a well-being check, but left without going inside after they did not see anything suspicious that would warrant a forced entry.

The twins' brother-in-law found a key to the home and went back with police on March 29, when he discovered the bodies. In the months since then, the home has been renovated and put on the market, Maffett said.

She added the neighborhood is fairly tight-knit, but that the Johnsons never reached out.

"I feel really sad," she said. "They didn't want anyone to interact with them. That was part of the problem, too."

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.

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