The smell is probably just the dead bees. They can get a little rank when they start to decompose(it doesn't take long). As far as why they died I couldn't say without knowing more. It could have just been that they couldn't break cluster to move to the honey. I had one of my hives make it through winter and was starting to raise brood for spring. Then we had a week of freezing temps at night with highs not making it much above freezing. That hive ran out of food and starved within a week.
As far as your frames, the ones in the pictures look good to me. If you had any bees left I would put them on the hive as is. Without bees I would put them in the freezer until you get some bees(they will help a new hive out a lot). If you leave them out the beetles and moths will get them. If there is enough to mess with you could harvest the honey.
Drawn come in swarm traps will help. Most people only use a small piece for the smell(the darker the better). If you put a whole frame in the trap, the wax moths will destroy it.
Hope you get more bees soon.