This Tuesday, the police discovered the body of a 64-year-old man in his studio located in the center of Duffel, in Flanders. He died around five months ago, indicate our colleagues at HLN. The prosecution seized the body for investigation, and concluded that the deceased had died naturally. “Residents in the neighborhood raised the alarm because they had not seen him for a long time,” said a press release.
The man, identified as Jan VN, lived in a workshop on Kerkstraat, in the heart of Duffel, in the province of Antwerp. His front door, located at the rear of the building, limited his interactions with neighbors. However, they had ended up worrying, having not seen him for several months, and his mailbox, which was overflowing with mail, reinforced their doubts.
Advanced state of decomposition
A police officer had also noticed the accumulation of mail. He then inquired with the owner of the building to find out if the latter had heard from his tenant. Although the rent continued to be paid regularly, no one had seen or heard from Jan VN for some time. The police therefore went to the scene on Tuesday around 11 a.m. With the help of the owner, they opened the door. A foul smell immediately alerted them: Jan VN had indeed lost his life. “His body was already in an advanced state of decomposition,” confirmed Kristof Aerts, spokesperson for the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office. “He had been dead for several months,” he adds.
The public prosecutor’s office, alerted, initially took charge of the case due to the unusual circumstances of the death, but the autopsy quickly concluded that it was a natural cause. “This man died of natural causes,” Aerts said. “The body was released, and no traces of violence or suspicious elements were found.”
Jan VN leaves behind a daughter, with whom he had not had contact for years, and a twin sister.
