Sydney Woman's Remains Found Years After Death

SYDNEY -- When an elderly Australian woman apparently vanished from view eight years ago, no one bothered to call the police. Not her relatives, her neighbors, or government officials, who kept paying her welfare benefits into a bank account that sat untouched.

New South Wales state police said Wednesday that they discovered the woman's skeletal remains on the floor of her Sydney home on Tuesday, after her sister-in-law finally called them to report that she had not heard from the woman – who would have turned 87 next month – since 2003.

"It's sad that the woman appears to have died several years ago without anyone noticing," said police Acting Superintendent Zoran Dzevlan.

Police were trying to determine exactly when the woman died, but said they didn't think the death was suspicious.

The woman, whose name was not released by police, was a recluse who had no relatives except for her sister-in-law, Dzevlan said. The two had a fight in 2003 and never spoke again. Police have not said why the sister-in-law waited years to report the woman missing, or what prompted her to call now.

As the years passed, utility companies cut off the power and water to the woman's home, police said. Centrelink, the government's welfare agency, continued to pay her benefits to her bank account, which remained untouched. Her mail had been redirected to her sister-in-law's home before 2003, but eventually stopped. Neighbors told police they hadn't seen her in years and assumed the house was vacant.

Police said the woman's home was locked and furnished, but looked like no one had lived there for years.

"To hear today that an elderly lady can pass away, be dead for eight years and for Centrelink to still be sending checks to her bank account and for those checks not to be cashed – surely that must set off the alarm bells within government," New South Wales Police Minister Mike Gallacher said.

"(It) really does highlight the need for this state and indeed our community to work closer at building relationships with our community," he said.

Comments

[Difster]

09:51 AM on 07/12/2011

Listen, this is a very isolated incident. I can't even begin to put a statistic on it, but I can't imagine it being more than .01% (1/100 of 1%) of the population that lives like that. But lets bump it up to say .5% (1/2 of 1%). Do you want to spend a bunch of tax money on state agencies which will then perhaps call them up on the phone once in a while and inquire as to whether or not they're still breathing.

So what happens when a healthy retiree decides to sell her house, close her accounts and go traveling around the world with no real links back to Australia other than the bank account in to which checks get deposited. Do you want to give the government the right to snoop through people's bank account to ensure that the money is getting spent? Look, Granny Smith isn't spending any money from her account and we can't find her, let's stop the check and cancel her account. But wait! Granny keeps that account strictly as savings because she has another account for expenses because she and her husband worked hard and saved. She planned on leaving that money to her grand kids in America when she passed. But now the government has seized it because they can't find her. And all because one woman died no one figured it out for 8 years; and having figured it out earlier would not even have saved her life.

[Jamie Kalush]

04:32 PM on 07/11/2011

if the mail was forwarded then how come the sister in law didnt recognize that the utilities were shut off and look into it argument or not, no city official had red flags because the property taxes werent paid even IF she owned the home, and dont you have to report for income adjustments regardless of the nature of you being on welfare/government assistance?this seems too much like a farce.

[Difster]

09:33 AM on 07/12/2011

The article said: "Her mail had been redirected to her sister-in-law's home before 2003, but eventually stopped."

I don't know about Australian law, but in the US, I can't think of any type of mandatory appearance that anyone needs to make before the government unless you specifically need a service of some kind.

[kauthon]

02:09 PM on 07/09/2011

This is a one timer. You don't need to transform an agency because there was a problem with one lady. Normally someone knows when somebody has gone missing.

[Difster]

09:34 AM on 07/12/2011

Hey! Stop using common sense! That's not allowed around here.

[mudshark12]

02:09 AM on 07/09/2011

Centrelink, which is Australia's pension agency (the equivalent to Social Security) would do well to put in a system where if checks were NOT being cashed by the recipient after a period of a few months an alert would be issued. This alert would be sent to local police for investigation. Not cashing this kind of check after a few months IS unusual. I'm amazed it took 8 years to find this ladies mummified remains.

[Difster]

09:34 AM on 07/12/2011

They were direct deposited in to the bank. As far as the pension agency was concerned they were cashed.

[Difster]

09:38 AM on 07/12/2011

Automatic deposit.

[mudshark12]

04:21 PM on 07/12/2011

I guess Centrelink needs to institute a program where every 6 months they send a letter out to the pensioners asking them if everything is okay, they could respond by mail, phone or email.

[parksle2]

06:52 PM on 07/08/2011

apparently the police chief needs some help. the checks were deposited then there was no visibility for the state if the money was ever spent.

[Difster]

09:35 AM on 07/12/2011

Why should the state know if someone's money was being spent or not?

[cre8tiondevine]

12:30 PM on 07/08/2011

What happened with the mail? It was rerouted to her SIL's home before she died and stopped sometime after...sounds weird. I think the SIL knowns more than what was reported. It's unfortunate when you live the life of a recluse...you will die like one as well.

[oceanview136]

09:18 PM on 07/07/2011

What a SAD situation. Here is an elderly lady that dies in her home, is dead for many years, and NOBODY cares enough to check on her all that time !! The Government keeps sending her checks, they are never cashed, and again nobody checks. I think if the sister-in-law had not made that call, she would probably continue to lay dead in that house for several more years !!

[Difster]

09:35 AM on 07/12/2011

If someone alienates her self from friends and family, who is going to check on her?

She was old, her neighbors probably assumed she moved away to a nursing home or something.

[Emily SchianoPorter]

06:55 PM on 07/07/2011

Does Sydney have no real estate tax? she didnt pay property taxes for 8 years and no one notice?

[Difster]

09:36 AM on 07/12/2011

It's possible the tax came right out of her bank account.

[scarpenteri]

04:55 PM on 07/07/2011

What, so you're dead only if someone notices?

[hurf1]

03:01 PM on 07/07/2011

I understand the sister-in-law calling now, since it was suppose to be the womans birthday.
She might have wanted to patch up things from the past. How sad to find out this woman has been gone for 8 years. She must feel very guilty.. Is the government taking all the money back ?
God Bless both of these ladies.

[chiara0]

02:21 PM on 07/07/2011

Hope one never has a sister-in-law like that.

[FiredUpRTG]

01:34 PM on 07/07/2011

What country sent 8 years' worth of welfare checks to a deceased elderly woman?

[Gregory Schwartz]

12:52 PM on 07/07/2011

I've been living in this house for about 18 years. We have a wonderful neighbor who has been there since before we got here. He is 82 years old. I frequently check on him to see if he is okay. I like to bring muffins, cookies, soup, etc. when I make it, just to do a good corporal work and "love they neighbor". I am sure he appreciates it, and I let him know me and my roommate appreciate him! We all need to reach out to our neighbors. I know I feel a lot more secure, knowing who is living next door to me, on both sides! - gregg in Sarasota, FL

[REDTARA3704]

01:56 PM on 07/07/2011

WHAT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A HOUSE CAN STAY CLOSED AND LOCKED FOR SO MANY YEARS AND PEOPLE TO NOT BREAK INTO IT WOW THAT MUST BE A DIFFERENT BREED NOW UNDER HERE IN NEW YORK NOTHING BUT SCUM AND CROOKS.
RIP SWEET WOMAN SORRY NO ONE CARE TO CHECK ON YOU.

[hurf1]

03:02 PM on 07/07/2011

I think if anyone did get into the house and saw the lady dead, they would get out of there as fast as they could !!

[Karma2U]

11:54 AM on 07/07/2011

Bless her soul.

[Charla Parton]

11:32 AM on 07/07/2011

And I sometimes feel as though the US has become uncaring. Wow, she was 79- years- old when the argument happened and she was a recluse. Surely the welfare organization in Australia knew this and so did this sister-in-law. I mean, she could at least have requested an organization check in on the lady from time to time if she didn't want to talk with her. IT certainly appears that many people just didn't want to be bothered here. Very sad indeed.