The lifeless bodies of two octogenarians were found Wednesday evening at the couple’s home in Basècles, in the entity of Beloeil, near Tournai. “The favored theory is that of natural deaths in the context of Diogenes syndrome, a behavioral disorder,” the Mons prosecutor’s office said Thursday morning.
Neighbors who were worried about not having seen the couple for a long time notified the local police. “We knew that the lady had a very worrying state of health. She had been bedridden for several years. As for the man, we saw him more often. Even though he had difficulties due to his age, he sometimes walked in front of her house. But since A few weeks, we no longer saw her. As for their niece, who lived with them, her behavior was strange. She hid behind cars to avoid being seen, or when she passed someone. going to get the mail, she threw this mail on the ground and rushed home. We even noticed that no shopping had been done for a few weeks, as if everything had stopped.testifies a neighbor.
Around the home, local residents speak of a discreet couple. “We have lived on this street for ten years. Apart from the gentleman who sometimes walked in front of his house and their niece, we saw no one. It was a very discreet family, almost reclusive, with little or no contact with neighbors.”
At the start of the evening, emergency services had to force the door of the seniors’ home, rue des Déportés in Basècles. The police then discovered the bodies of the two residents, an 86-year-old woman and her 82-year-old husband.
According to the police, the deaths of the victims date back several months. The case was put under investigation and a judge was referred to the charge of homicide. “However, the path of natural death is favored“, specified the prosecution.
According to the public prosecutor, the deaths occurred in a context of Diogenes syndrome. This disorder is characterized by a tendency to compulsively accumulate all kinds of objects. These end up cluttering up all the available space and favoring the emergence of an unsanitary environment.
Diogenes syndrome also leads to neglecting personal hygiene and leads to withdrawal. The autopsy of the bodies is scheduled for Thursday.
A suspicious niece
During a neighborhood investigation, a resident mentioned problems linked to the couple’s niece, named Patricia: “I never saw her open the door of this house in five years. The couple posed no problem, but the niece, Patricia, was something else. She sometimes shouted in the street because of the trash cans moved by the wind, or quarreled with the gentleman. Apart from that, they lived recluse.”
About a year and a half ago, neighbors had already alerted the emergency services about the couple’s worrying state of health. However, the intervention was unsuccessful, as one resident recounts: “The ambulances had already come, but the niece refused to let them enter the house. The emergency services did not insist further.”
On Wednesday evening, a similar situation occurred, but this time the outcome was different. “When help arrived, the niece again refused to let them in. She was screaming and struggling, but the police forced entry. It was then that they discovered the bodies in a state of advanced decomposition.’
The niece, after her refusal, was arrested. “The investigation will have to determine in what capacity she is involved”specified Damien Verheyen, spokesperson for the Mons-Tournai public prosecutor’s office. It was also confirmed that she had been living with the bodies of her aunt and uncle for several months.
beloeil Hainaut diogenes syndrome
