Police believe a body found by council staff who were clearing a boarded up home may have been decomposing there for 20 years.
Shocked officers found skeletal remains in a bed in the house in County Cork, Ireland - while butter in the fridge dated back to 2001.
The Gardai were called after the grim discovery was made in Mallow just yards from a pub, the Irish Mirror reports.
Detectives cordoned off the scene around the one-storey home, while and fire service staff removed the remains to Cork University Hospital’s morgue.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster was last night due to carry out a postmortem. Gardai do not suspect foul play and it’s believed neighbours thought the man, who was described as reclusive, had moved to England.
Mallow Cllr Liam Madden said the site is one of two boarded up derelict houses on the “very busy” road which links the town to the N20.
He said it was “extraordinary” that the body could have been there undiscovered for two decades.
He added: “I find it hard to imagine. But it has happened before in other towns and villages where someone has been found. If they are local, it’s a very sad reflection that someone didn’t miss this person and say where would that person be.
“The big thing is identification now, it is going to take a long time. In some of these places that are boarded up, people have gone in there to sleep... it could be anyone.
“It’s very sad that there’s some family out there that could be looking for this person.”
Investigators are hoping dental records will confirm the identity of the person.
Officers were carrying out door to door inquiries and plan to check with utility providers to pinpoint the timing of the death.
