Texas investigators believe a man in Harris County was living with a corpse for months before committing suicide in his home, ABC13 reports.
The gruesome discovery started with a welfare check that led deputies to believe a man may have lived with a corpse for months before taking his own life. https://t.co/o59nwaI4T5
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) March 12, 2023
Grim Discovery Was Prompted By A Neighbor’s Concern
According to the outlet, Alton Bell, a concerned neighbor, called authorities on March 11. He asked them to conduct a welfare check on the man after noticing larger-than-normal flies swarming around his home.
“Yesterday, I was mowing the grass and going beside the house. I was going into the backyard, and I noticed a bunch of flies that were above the normal size.”
Harris Country deputies arrived at the home later that evening and noticed the flies. As well as a “foul odor.”
The Authorities Are Started By Another Occurrence At The Residence
The conditions prompted the authorities to enter the home, but then they heard “one gunshot.”
Deputy Thomas Gilliland explained the scene further to reporters.
“As they made entry into the home, they heard one gunshot. They cleared the home and found a male body in a bedroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
The outlet reported that the man was in his 60s.
Authorities Make A Second, Startling, Discovery
As authorities continued to make their way through the home, they found the corpse of another man in his 60s. According to the outlet, authorities believe that the man was dead “for several months.” Additionally, ABC13 reported that his body was “severely decomposing.”
#BreakingOvernight: Deputies believe a man may have been living with a corpse for months at a home near Kilwinning and Lerwick in NW Harris County. HCSO made a welfare check and said that man shot himself when they entered his home around 6:30 p.m. Saturday. @abc13houston pic.twitter.com/MQDadMKAl5
— Rosie Nguyen (she/her) (@RosieABC13) March 12, 2023
Bell explained his reaction to the “horrifying” discovery.
“We’re pretty shocked. It’s really horrifying. I mean, this guy was 20 feet from my house lying in a room.”
A fellow neighbor, named Linda Meadows, also shared her reaction to the news.
“If you ever smelled a rat in your wall, it’s awful. As soon as they opened the door, you could smell it as soon as the wind blew it across the street. We knew something was really wrong.”
Neighbors described the deceased men as private individuals, explaining that they mostly “kept to themselves.” ABC13 explained that the relationship between them is “unclear.” However, it appears that they were living together in the home.
Additionally, Harris County Forensic Science is working on determining the cause of death of the severely decomposed body. However, the two men’s identity has not yet been released to the public.
