The family of a man whose body had been decomposing in a Victoria home for five years are fighting for answers about how the tragedy occurred and what remains of his legacy.
Robert Natoli, who would have turned 76 this year, was found dead on December 29, 2022, in the social housing he shared with his sister Maria, 74, on Russell Street in Newtown, in Geelong.
Police made the gruesome discovery in the rubbish-filled and rat-infested home after being present in an unrelated capacity.
The house was owned by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and details about the ‘house of horrors’ have only made headlines in recent weeks.
Mr. Natoli’s niece, Grace Natoli, said the family is now investigating the State Trustees because they believe he may have left hundreds of thousands of dollars from his late grandparents.
Robert Natoli, who would have turned 76 this year, was found dead on December 29, 2022, in the social housing he shared with his sister Maria, 74, (pictured) on Russell Street in Newtown, in Geelong.
Although the property was in a disgusting state and no one had heard from Robert since 2017, the case remained unsolved until police investigated the property in a separate matter.
“This is our family we are talking about, someone has abandoned not only Robert and Maria, but their grandparents and our family,” she said. The Geelong Advertiser.
She and her cousins now hope to find out what happened to Natoli’s inheritance. They say his grandparents would “turn in their graves” if they knew how his life ended.
The family also want to give Mr Natoli a proper burial once a coronial inquest, which is still being considered, is completed.
“Someone is taking advantage of their legacy and has thrown Robert and Maria away as if they don’t matter, they don’t care. That their parents, their grandparents, their great-grandparents and their sacrifices have gone unnoticed and don’t matter,” Grace said.
State Trustees provides legal and financial services to Victorians in need.
Some neighbors said they had “never seen” Ms Natoli’s brother, Robert, in more than two years and urged authorities to conduct a welfare check at the public housing flat.
The property is currently boarded up, has been forensically cleaned and will be renovated in the future to accommodate a new tenant
It is understood that Mr Natoli’s rent continued to be paid by the state even after he passed away.
The company issued a notice to creditors of Mr Natoli’s estate on August 23, saying surviving relatives and others had until November 1 last year to make a claim.
Grace said she had written to the State Trustees to see what rights remained for Maria.
The organization was unable to comment, saying they could only do so “under orders from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal or a court.”
“It’s not right, whatever happened, it’s not right,” Grace said.
Mr Natoli had worked as a caravan manufacturer and had lived in Geelong for more than 40 years.
He and his sister initially grew up in Melbourne, in an Italian-Australian family that had emigrated here in the first half of the 20th century.
When officers arrived at the home, they had to break a glass door panel to gain entry.
Officers in biohazard suits were forced to wade through floor-to-ceiling rubbish, rats, dead possums and human feces to reach the skeletal remains of Mr Natoli, who had not been seen since 2017.
Neighbors of the Natolis had complained to the housing department and the MP about the terrible state of the house, which was covered in rubbish both inside and out.
The ‘house of horrors’ – now cleared of mountains of rubbish – contained rats and dead possums
A DFFH spokesperson previously described the incident as tragic and expressed its ‘deepest condolences to the man’s family and friends’.
“All complaints received were taken seriously and staff sought to have them addressed, taking into account tenants’ rights under the Residential Tenancies Act,” the department said.
‘The department had made numerous attempts to inspect the property and contact the tenant and had applied to VCAT to secure access to the property.
“The man’s sister was immediately provided with alternative housing and support services.”
Maria Natoli was arrested by police and led from the house after her brother’s body was found in December last year, but was released without charge.
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that a neighbor had taken pity on Maria and welcomed her into her home.
Belinda Holt said the woman, now about 74 years old, became homeless after police cordoned off her public housing and ended up sleeping in a park.
Mrs Holt took Maria in just before New Year’s Eve 2022 and said she enjoyed ‘watching the fireworks on my big screen TV’ and revealed part of her life story.
She said Maria and her brother Robert had grown up in a strict Roman Catholic family.
Ms Holt said Maria remembered wearing “a nice dress” to attend social dances as a teenager, but never married or had children.
Instead, she focused on her career and got a job at retailer Myer, where she worked her way up to an administrator role.
Devastated by the death of her grandparents, Maria began to suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health problems.
Another neighbor said the siblings had lived together in Geelong, on a different street, in the 1980s.
Both she and Robert subsequently moved to council housing in Russell Street, Newtown.
After quitting her job, Maria continued to do work for people in her suburb and clean the neighborhood streets.
“She would clean out people’s trash cans and get the gum nuts out of people’s gutters and make some money doing it, $20 here and there,” Ms. Holt said.
“I’ve met (Robert) a few times. He was a hermit. They were both traumatized people.’