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In the summer of 2015 in Germany, a body in a state of decomposition was found in an apartment in a multi-story residential building. Neighboring tenants had reported a horrible smell in the hallway and alerted the emergency services. The apartment was a two-room apartment furnished in the style of the 1970s. Thick layers of dust lay on the carpets, the window frames were covered with mold, and the wallpapers were yellowed. Christmas decoration was found in the living room, such as dragon palms and artificial Christmas trees decorated with Christmas lights.

The apartment was registered to a 91-year-old woman who was listed as the sole tenant. Two identity cards were found in the hallway, which were issued to the woman and her 60-year-old son. In the bathroom next to the toilet on the floor, lying on its right side, was a corpse in a state of decomposition. The on-call doctor at the scene was uncertain about the cause of death and identified the corpse as that of the very old tenant. In the event of an uncertain type of death, an autopsy was ordered.

Fig.1 In the bathroom next to the toilet on the floor, lying on its right side, was a corpse in a state of decomposition.

During the external examination of the corpse, originally characterized as a female individual, male external sexual characteristics were noted and a noticeable growth of beard was found by the medical examiners. The police were informed that the corpse was not of a woman, but of a man.

When identification documents of the son of the tenant became known, it was considered that the body could be that of the son. To further clarify the circumstances of the death and the whereabouts of the tenant, the criminal police, accompanied by the forensic doctor on duty, carried out a second site inspection.

Fig.2 The police were informed that the corpse was not of a woman, but of a man.

On the apartment’s balcony investigators discovered a wooden linen chest with a padded hinged lid next to various household items. The coffin-like chest was sealed with transparent plastic film, sealing compound, and duct tape, and marked with an embroidered toweling article. After removing numerous items of clothing from the chest, a mummified, partially skeletonized corpse as well as beetle droppings, beetle larvae, and pupa were discovered in a gray garbage bag. An autopsy of the mummified corpse was immediately ordered by the responsible public prosecutor’s office, as well as a computed tomography (CT) scan examination.

Fig.3 On the apartment’s balcony investigators discovered a wooden linen chest.

Fig.4 After removing numerous items of clothing from the chest, a mummified, partially skeletonized corpse was discovered.

Autopsy findings of the male corpse revealed arteriosclerosis and coronary sclerosis as well as kidney cysts. There were no indications of poisoning according to toxicology tests. Hair analysis was performed and measurable levels of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) pointed towards excessive alcohol consumption the months before death. There were no signs of external violence. Remnants of the thigh muscles did not reveal any evidence of poisoning.

The police investigation revealed that the tenant’s son had not been living at his address since early 2013 and had stopped paying the rent for his apartment. Furthermore, according to the family doctor, the son received prescriptions in the practice on behalf of the mother. A cardiovascular medication was last prescribed in the summer of 2012, a pack size of which would have been sufficient for 6 months if taken as intended.

Fig.5 A computed tomography (CT) scan examination.

In consideration of the overall circumstances and the Christmas decorations in the apartment, the investigation considered that the woman had died around the turn of the year 2012/2013. It was therefore considered likely that the son had continued to use the apartment in an almost unchanged condition until his death.

The original assumption that the body found was the tenant of the apartment did not seem to have been questioned at any time during the medical and police measures at the scene of the incident. In retrospect, the criminal police photo documentation reveals numerous inconsistencies regarding the female gender of the corpse, including primary and secondary male sexual characteristics, “boxer shorts” and the exclusive presence of cosmetics from a men’s care range. The presence of identity documents from various people should also have raised doubts.

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