A man in his 60s is believed to have been living with a decomposing corpse for several months before taking his own life, police have said.
Cops were called to a home in northwest Harris County, Texas, US, after a neighbour sensed a foul odour and an unusual number of thick flies coming from the property.
As they were about to enter the property, they heard a gunshot. They went in and saw the man on a bedroom floor, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Another man's body, who was around the same age, was found in a separate room, which had been severely decomposing for months, authorities said.
The cause of death for the decomposed body is still under investigation.
The relationship between the two men is unclear, but it appears they were living together in the house.
Neighbours described the men as private and mostly kept to themselves.
Alton Bell, who lives next door, explained how he became suspicious of his neighbour.
He told ABC 13: "Yesterday, I was mowing the grass and going beside the house. I was going into the backyard, and I noticed a bunch of flies that were above the normal size.
"We're pretty shocked. It's really horrifying. I mean, this guy was 20ft from my house lying in a room."
Deputy Thomas Gilliland said: "As [the officers] made entry into the home, they heard one gunshot. They cleared the home and found a male body in a bedroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
Linda Meadows, who lives across the street, said her daughter heard the gunshot and the foul odour was so strong that they knew something was really wrong.
She said: "If you ever smelled a rat in your wall, it's awful. As soon as they opened the door, you could smell it as soon as the wind blew it across the street. We knew something was really wrong."
An investigation into the deaths of the two men is ongoing.
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