Woman suspected of having died more than six months ago found in her flat
Every year several elderly and forgotten people are found dead in their homes in Helsinki
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An 80-year-old woman, whose body was found in her home in the Helsinki district of Etu-Töölö last week, is presumed to have been dead for nearly eight months. The police do not suspect foul play in connection with the discovery of the deceased, who is believed to have died in June 2009.
The body was eventually discovered by a male relative. The incident was reported by the late-edition tabloid Ilta-Sanomat in its Thursday issue.
“The woman was mobile and independent and therefore nobody thought of going to check on her until last week”, notes Sgt. Jukka Rintala from the Helsinki criminal police.
According to Rintala, elderly people who die and are forgotten in their homes are a fairly common phenomenon in Helsinki. “Quite often” people are found a couple of months after their death.
“Cases, where the deceased has remained uncovered for more than half a year, are more rare but not unheard-of. We have two to three such cases per year, but not all of them make the headlines.”
One that did make the newspapers took place just a few weeks ago, when the mummified corpse of an elderly lady was found in an apartment in a Helsinki suburb.
In that example the body was believed to be as much as two and a half years old.
“There are people who do not wish to stay in touch with the outside world. People isolate themselves and do not even pick up the phone, even when they are at home”, comments Jukka Rintala.
On the other hand, with pensions being paid automatically into people’s bank accounts from where invoice payments are then deducted through direct debit, nobody necessarily suspects that something might be wrong.
Often it is an elderly person, who may not have any living relatives.
“This is how today’s system works. If there were, say, unpaid rents or electricity bills, at least then someone would start asking questions”, Rintala summarises.
A post-mortem will be performed on the deceased woman.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 5.2.2010 - TODAY |
 Woman suspected of having died more than six months ago found in her flat |
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