Unlocking a tragedy: Firemen trying to open up the house of the victim who was found dead in his living room at about 11pm on April 24.
On what should have been a festive occasion, a decomposed body was found
MUAR: He was found lying motionless on a bed in the living room of his house where he lived alone.
It was the third day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, an occasion which he should have been celebrating.
Instead, his neighbours detected an odour coming from his home.The 75-year-old man was believed to have been dead for at least three days before his decomposed body was found at about 11pm on April 24.
It was an example of how some elderly folk fall through the cracks, unnoticed by others.
The Star reported last week that there were almost 10 cases in the past few months of senior citizens found dead at home where they lived alone.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2018, an estimated 7.4% of elderly people lived alone.
Another 31.9% said they had little social support such as social interaction.
In the Muar case, a neighbour of the deceased described him as a man of few words.
“He seemed comfortable living on his own. In the evenings, he would sometimes tend to his garden,” said the neighbour who only wanted to give her name as Rosmah.
“Despite being neighbours, we rarely chatted with each other. All of us are busy with our own lives,” she said.
Rosmah, who was distraught about the neighbour’s death, said that she last saw him about a week before his body was discovered by a relative who alerted the police and the Fire and Rescue Department.
“It is such a tragic story. While I do not know him well, we did have some conversations from time to time,” she said.
She said that the man had been living alone for as long as she had known him, noting that there were some occasional visits from his family.
“He would sometimes be staying inside the house for days. But this time, I did not expect him to have passed on,” she added.
Rosmah said she detected a smell coming from the direction of his house about one or two days before the body was discovered.
“I did not think much of it as the smell was rather faint,” she said.
Rosmah said that she found out about her neighbour’s death when she saw police cars parked in front of his home on that fateful day.
“I was getting ready to go to my son’s house when I saw police cars and later a truck from the Fire and Rescue Department at his house.
“I suspected something bad must have happened. I was shocked when I found out about his death and I felt guilty for not knowing what was happening in my own backyard,” she said, adding that none of her neighbours had a clue too.
A trader known as Hawa, who served breakfast at a stall near the house, said she last saw the man about two years ago.
“He would sometimes drop by to have his breakfast here. Despite his age, he appeared robust. He could still ride his motorcycle,” she said.
Hawa said she heard about his death from some of her customers.“It was shocking. It is sad that a person had to go through death alone. I hope it was not a painful death and that his soul rests in peace,” she said.
The man’s death was discovered when a family member came to visit him and detected the stench.
Police received a call at 10.47pm that night.
A circular saw was used by the officers to cut a lock on the grill of the house.
Within 10 minutes, they managed to open the door and the odour became even more pronounced.
A medical team from the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital in Muar who was at the scene later confirmed his death and handed the body to the police.
According to Muar OCPD Asst Comm Raiz Mukhliz Azman Aziz, there were no signs indicating that the man was a victim of a criminal act and that the case was classified as a sudden death.
