Woman sleeps next to her brother’s rotting corpse for FIVE years as cops discover ‘house of horrors’ in affluent Geelong suburb
A woman spent up to five years sleeping next to her brother’s rotting corpse in a rat-and-trash-infested house in an affluent suburb.
The woman, in her 70s, lived with the body in her public housing on Russell Street in Newtown in Geelong, southwest of Melbourne.
Newtown is considered an affluent neighborhood where the average home price is currently $1.1 million.
Police made the gruesome discovery after arresting the woman on December 29, 2022, on an unrelated matter.
Forensic officers in biohazard suits were forced to wade through floor-to-ceiling rubbish, rats, dead possums and human feces to reach the ‘skeleton’.
The woman is said to have lived with her brother’s body on Russell Street in Newtown in Geelong, south-west of Melbourne (photo: police on scene in 2022)
Forensic officers in biohazard suits waded through knee-deep trash, human filth and rats to remove what was left of the man
The woman is said to have slept next to the corpse for somewhere between two and five years.
“It was a bloody skeleton they removed, not a body,” neighbor Nicole Stratton told police Geelong Advertiser.
‘How can someone live with a dead body next door for five years and no one knows about it?
“They tried to sweep this under the rug. We lived next to a horrible house.’
Residents along the leafy street complained to several government agencies for years, but their objections fell on deaf ears.
It is believed a Greater Geelong City Council employee attempted to contact the tenant at least once before notifying the DFFH.
The house is a 15-minute walk from the GMHBA Stadium, home of Geelong Football Club, and a stone’s throw from the busy cosmopolitan center of Pakington Street.
The man was last seen alive in 2018 by some residents of the street.
The woman was a tenant of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, raising questions about how the body could remain undiscovered for so long.
Ms Stratton said she believed the build-up of “utter filth” may have helped mask the stench of the decomposing body.
“There was always an odor, but we thought it was from the piles of trash,” she said.
‘The blinds were always down and you could see the mold on the back of them.
The house of horrors has been empty for more than a year after the grim discovery
The house was filled with garbage and human waste (photo)
‘The carport was constantly full of rubbish. There were rats everywhere, it was absolutely disgusting.”
She said a skeleton and “no body” had been removed from the site because the stench attracted flies.
Mrs Stratton said her eldest daughter refuses to go out at night as she is still traumatized by the ordeal.
Victoria Police said they attended the property to conduct a welfare check on the man when his corpse was discovered.
A DFFH spokesperson said welfare checks have been carried out ‘since 2021’ after complaints were made about the condition of the property.
“This is a tragic incident,” he said.
“We extend our sincere condolences to the man’s family and friends.”
The woman was released without charge last year in connection with the man’s death.
The coroner is still investigating the cause of death.
The building has been vacant for over a year.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the City of Greater Geelong and DFFH for comment.