Police attempting to evict a man from his Stockholm apartment entered the premises and found his dead body inside, estimating that he died 18 months ago.
The police found his body after responding to a request to help evict him from his flat in the Kungsholmen district by the enforcement agency (Kronofogden). The tenant’s bills had been paid by direct debit, while none of his relatives, neighbours or friends noticed they had not seen him for 18 months.
Food products and unopened mail dated as far back as February, 2012. Stockholm police’s Viktor Adolphson said society is becoming harsher and harsher, adding that there is no suspicion of foul play.
He explained when a body has been lying dead for such a lengthy period of time it is not possible for the police to know the cause of death upon discovery. He acknowledged incidents such as this are extremely unusual, but questioned how neighbours look out for each other these days.
He said it was strange people don’t notice they have not seen their neighbor for 18 months, but stressed he was not being critical, just trying to understand how such incidences occur.
The discovery is the second of its type in the last two months. In May, a man’s body was found in a flat in the south of Stockholm. It was estimated he had been laying there for two years.