Police found the body of a man in an apartment on Berthold Brechtstraat in Amsterdam Zuidoost on Wednesday. He had been dead for some time. In early 2023, neighbors had already reported to the housing corporation Eigen Haard that they had not seen the man for some time, local media reported.

In early 2023, neighbors reported they hadn’t seen the man for some time and thought he might be abroad, an Eigen Haard spokesman said. Password. “It’s not strange and the rent was still being paid,” the spokesman said. Therefore, the housing society did not investigate.

In September of this year, Eigen Haard received another report from a neighbor, again saying they hadn’t seen the man in a long time. The housing corporation asked the municipality to see if it could find the man in the country where he is believed to be, an Eigen Haard spokesman said. AT5. That proved impossible, so Eigen Haard asked the police to go check the man’s house this week.

Police went to check the home on Wednesday and found a deceased man inside. There is no evidence of foul play, police said.

The man’s rent was still not in arrears, Eigen Haard said. “The rent continued to be paid. If it hadn’t been the case, it would have been a visible signal immediately.” The spokesman also emphasized that the reports were not about odors or pests, but about the suspicion that the resident was no longer in the Netherlands.

Locals are shocked and wonder how the man could have been dead in his house for so long without anyone noticing. Parool spoke to several residents of the block. They said they didn’t notice any odors or vermin around the house. According to neighbors, the man lived a very secluded life and had few contacts.

“It seems the man never existed. I find it scary,” one local told the newspaper. “How can this happen? You have to take care of each other a little.”

Another neighbor told him Telegraaf that it refers to an older Surinamese man. “I don’t think I’ve seen him in over a year,” he said. It’s not really a “we know each other” neighborhood, he added. Still, he wonders how it is possible that no one missed this man. “You’d think the immediate neighbors would have noticed.”

This is “a sad case,” a spokesman for Eigen Haard told the Telegraaf. “But it shows that loneliness is a major problem that needs to be tackled. People who have few contacts and lead very solitary lives often literally and figuratively disappear from the radar.”