Australian woman lived with the rotting corpse of her brother for years

Warning: Distressing content

An Australian woman lived with the rotting corpse of her brother for years, despite checks being made at the property.

Neighbours claim the woman effectively masked the smell with piles of “filth” strewn around the property in an exclusive suburb.

The body was found at the home in the Geelong suburb of Newtown in December 2022 after the woman was arrested on unrelated matters, the Geelong Advertiser reported.

Some residents reported not seeing the man since 2018, and police believe the woman lived, ate and slept alongside her brother’s body for years.

The property was provided by Victoria’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), and neighbours say attempts by the agency to check on the property failed to find the man.

The Advertiser reports the woman was a hoarder with mental health issues and the home contained rubbish from floor to ceiling, human faeces, rats and dead possums.

“We have been living next to a house of horrors,” neighbour Nicole Stratton said.

The unit in Newtown in Geelong. Photo / Google

Stratton says the “utter filth” masked the smell and she was horrified by what police uncovered when they went through the property in 2022, dressed in hazmat suits.

“I witnessed it all,” she said.

“It was a bloody skeleton they removed, not a body.”

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Another local resident said despite the state of the property, no one expected police to find a body.

“Imagine having dinner every night with a rotten corpse,” they said.

“It was vile,” Stratton said. “She would not have been able to use the toilet. I don’t know how she lived.”

A City of Greater Geelong spokesman confirmed to the Advertiser that complaints were made about the property and passed the information to the DFFH.

A DFFH spokesman described it as a “tragic incident”, and a long-time Newtown resident expressed dismay at how it was allowed to happen.

“A lot of people have been let down by the system here,” he said.

“I don’t know how this has happened.”

The coroner is still investigating how the man died, and the woman was released last year without charge.

SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION

Where to get help:
• Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
• What's Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
• Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7)
• Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.