Foul play not suspected in death of elderly man

The death of an 86-year-old man, whose decomposing body was discovered at his Cedar Hill residence, is not suspected to be a result of foul play by the police.

According to reports, the man’s nephew, who resides in Valley Church, contacted the Parham Police Station on February 20 at approximately 10:55 a.m.

He informed them that he was at his uncle’s house and noticed a foul odor, prompting him to request police assistance.

It is worth noting that the deceased lived alone and had not been in contact with his nephew for over two weeks.

Upon arrival, the officers conducted a thorough search of the premises but found no evidence of forced entry.

However, they did observe that a western patio door was open, with the screen pushed in.

​Taking advantage of this access point, the officers entered the residence and made the grim discovery of the elderly man’s partially decomposed body. Allegedly, the body was found seated upright in a living room chair, dressed in a burgundy T-shirt and yellow shorts.

Upon being informed of the situation, a local doctor, who is also a nephew of the deceased, stated that he had last seen the man in September 2023. It appears that the deceased had been dealing with various health issues, including hypertension and diabetes.

At approximately 12:23 p.m., the district doctor arrived at the scene and officially pronounced the body deceased at 12:56 p.m.

Following this, Magistrate Ngaio Emmanuel, the coroner, was notified and granted permission for the body to be transported to Barnes Funeral Home, as requested by the family.