The two disgusting signs something was wasn’t right inside $3million lakeside home before owner’s ‘mummified body’ was found inside – as fresh details emerge about murder-accused stepson ‘who lived with the corpse for two YEARS’
Neighbors heard disturbing noises and were overwhelmed by a foul stench emanating from a $3 million house before a man’s mummified corpse was found inside – leading to his stepson’s arrest.
Tomislav Nemes, 69, was found dead in a bedroom at his Gold Coast property on April 17 after concerned family members requested that police conduct a welfare check.
Detectives believe his body lay there for one to two years, while his wife Dragica Nemes, 70, and her son from a previous marriage, Nikola Golem, 48, continued to live at the Benowa estate.
Just days after the renewed public call for information, police charged Golem on Tuesday with the alleged murder of his stepfather.
Sources familiar with the family’s situation have told Daily Mail Australia exclusively that Golem was mentally impaired after suffering a brain injury as a young boy.
The mummified remains of Tomislav Nemes (pictured), 69, were discovered by police during a welfare check at his Gold Coast home
Dragica Nemes (right) and Nikola Golem (left) are pictured at their Gold Coast home on April 17 when police were called to the property to conduct a welfare check
“That’s why he lived with his parents and didn’t work,” they said.
“It’s all very sad.”
Court documents show that police allege that Golem killed his stepfather in the house sometime between August 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022.
He was said to have continued to live in the house afterwards with the body, which police say “appeared to be mummified” despite no efforts being made to preserve it.
Daily Mail Australia understands that neighbors have noticed a rancid smell in the house during the period when Mr Nemes is believed to have died, initially blaming the murky water in the family’s neglected swimming pool in the family’s backyard.
According to sources, neighbors also heard noises in the house around the same time. It is clear that both cases have been reported to the police.
Five months after the grisly discovery, residents of the posh suburb — where multimillion-dollar waterfront homes sit on sprawling green blocks — remain shocked by Nemes’s death.
Pictured: The back of the $3 million Nemes home, which overlooks a lake in the lavish suburb of Benowa
The couple bought the home (pictured) on Edinburgh Road in 2008, but didn’t move to Queensland until about a decade later
Neighbors in the immediate area – and beyond – told Daily Mail Australia that they rarely saw the “very quiet” family in the five years they had lived in the Edinburgh Road house after moving from the ACT to Queensland.
They said the family, who migrated to Australia from Eastern Europe decades ago, “kept to themselves” and never seemed to have many friends or guests.
One man said he had only seen Mr Nemes once since 2018, shortly after they moved in. Another, who lives just three doors down, said he had never seen the family at all.
Some said they’d seen Golem and Mrs. Nemes, albeit only a handful of times, when he took out the garbage or she was in the yard.
“I wanted to say hello, but the son didn’t respond to you,” a neighbor said.
“The house always looked dilapidated. They never mowed the grass in front. Other neighbors kindly offered to do it for them since they didn’t want to.
“After they discovered the body, a mowing company was called there to do maintenance. They were there for two whole days.’
One man said he believed Golem hadn’t been in the house since Mr. Nemes’s body was discovered because the garbage cans were no longer brought to the curb on a regular basis.
However, he said Ms Nemes still seems to be living in the property, although she “never seems to go out”.
Neighbors say they have rarely seen the family outside in the past five years. In the photo: Mr. Nemes
Mr. Nemes is pictured on his wedding day
He said he had seen emergency workers visit the house in recent months, as a group of people were loading furniture into the house a few weeks ago.
Ms Nemes hasn’t broken cover since her son’s arrest last week, but appeared to be home on Wednesday, when the blinds on the front of the house were closed by someone inside in response to reporters knocking on the gate.
However, on Thursday, a group of friends – three women and a man – were seen close to Ms Nemes’ house.
When asked how Ms Nemes was doing given the circumstances, one of the women told Daily Mail Australia that she was ‘not doing well’.
While the Nemes remained an enigma to those living around them, there were signs that the family faced hardship leading up to Nemes’ death.
A neighbor reported seeing several tradesmen come to the house over the years and try to confront the owners for payment.
Court records obtained by Daily Mail Australia show that a local plumbing company has filed a complaint against Mr Nemes in the amount of $4463 for an unpaid bill.
The owner of the business said he was contacted by Mr Nemes in October 2021 to install two hot water systems for the house.
But in the weeks that followed, he repeatedly tried to get the money together, after which Mr Nemes repeatedly pleaded for an extension.
Ms Nemes associate (pictured) said the 70-year-old was ‘not doing well’ after her son’s arrest
On Thursday, a group of friends were seen visiting Ms Nemes as she continues to live alone in the property
“I went there a few months later and he said he couldn’t pay. I said okay, we’ll give you another month.
“He said, ‘Oh, there’s a death in the family,’ and then there was, ‘I’m having problems with my bank. He kept making excuses.’
In the end, the plumber said he took Mr Nemes to small claims court, but the case was dismissed when the defendant failed to show up.
“I still haven’t paid,” he said.
Last week, when investigators urged merchants who had been at the home to contact police, the plumber said he had provided a statement to officers.
According to his testimony, he last saw Mr Nemes in November 2021 – which would shorten the time frame police had previously set for death by two months.
Company records show that Mr Nemes ran a construction business in Canberra, including a company supplying building contractors, while they lived in the suburb of Bruce.
While living in the ACT, the Nemes bought the Benowa house in 2008 for $1.5 million before renting it out for several years before retiring and moving to Queensland.
Despite the strange smell and strange noises afterwards, the neighbors said nothing was wrong when Mr. Nemes disappeared, as they rarely saw him.
Although Mr Nemes and his relatives had lost contact with him over the years, they contacted the police after they felt it was ‘unusual’ that such a long time had passed without any contact.
Relatives had flown from Canberra to the Gold Coast to visit him just three days before police were called for a welfare check.
Surveillance footage released by police shows officers jumping over the fence at the back of the house and banging on the sliding doors at the back.
You hear a female cop tell the residents to open the doors before the police enter, only to see Mrs. Nemes and Golem standing in the living room.
Golem did not have to appear in person when his case was first heard at Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He was taken into custody and the case was adjourned to September 22.
As the investigation continues, detectives have urged anyone who had been at the property in recent years to contact police.