After performing a welfare check on an elderly 71-year-old man, police discover that the resident is far from okay, and has a number of new housemates. A dead man in Georgia was being used for his house by several squatters, who took more than just his space.
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Despite being dead for weeks, the squatters left the corpse of the 71-year-old man in the bathroom while they made the most of his belongings and home. This was the only bathroom in the house, so where the squatters were going to the toilet is anyone's guess.
The former resident had no living relatives, and he was the type to keep himself to himself according to neighbors. His house is tucked away behind tall hedges and trees, making the entrance hard to see. This allowed the squatters the ability to sneak in and out of the house without being seen.
However, when the police came to do the welfare check, they discovered the seven squatters living with the dead man. They were promptly arrested and tried for numerous crimes. How long they had been with the corpse is anyone's guess, but they're not suspected of the murder.
The Squatters Helped Themselves to Dead Mans Belongings
Along with using the dead man's house as a rather grizzly temporary home, the squatters also made the most of his other belongings. They had apparently ransacked the house, going through his drawers, and taking what they could.
The theft went beyond simply taking the man's things. They also found a checkbook and his car keys. The squatters were charged with cashing the corpse's cheques and stealing his car. Squatters' rights are a complicated matter but I am pretty certain they don't allow the theft of a dead man's money and joyriding his vehicle.
There is certainly a level of disrespect that comes with occupying the house of a dead man. Squatting is a complex legal matter, but there has to be some morality surrounding it. Of course, the squatters wouldn't want to move the dead man, as this would incriminate them. But, just leaving the house and perhaps alerting the police would have been the more sane thing to do.
