Man's death goes unnoticed in Sydney

SYDNEY, Australia—A man lay dead in his apartment in Australia's largest city for a year before anyone noticed, officials and news reports said recently.

The body of Jorge Chambe, 64, was found in his single bedroom, government-owned flat in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona when police and firefighters broke in, after concerns about his welfare were finally raised.

Decomposition of the body was advanced and bank records indicated Chambe died about a year earlier, officials said.

"It's amazing," Detective-Inspector Ian Prye told reporters. "This guy lives in the suburbs and he dies and no one notices for a year."

In news reports, neighbors at the apartment block described Chambe as a quiet man who was friendly but who kept mostly to himself. He had received federal government welfare payments and his rent was paid automatically by direct debit from his bank account.

His mailbox had filled to overflowing, but no one had noticed a smell or other clues that he had died, the reports said. A worried neighbor finally called housing officials and authorities broke in when Chambe did not respond.

photo courtesy images.google.com & story twincities.com, 1/10/08