WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A grieving woman slept next to her husband’s decaying corpse for almost a year after his death left her so devastated she was unable to report it.

The mummified remains of Marcel H, 79, lay in a Brussels apartment where his devoted 69-year-old wife, who hasn’t been named, continued to sleep despite the smell and decomposition.

It is thought the man died of an asthma attack in November last year, however the death was not reported.


As neighbours never complained of anything unusual, the body was only discovered when the landlord noticed the couple had not paid any rent since 2012 and alerted the authorities.



When they entered the apartment they found the remains of the elderly man on the couple’s bed.

Philippe Boxho, pathologist at the Forensic Centre of Liege said: ‘A body can mummify in a dry, warm environment. It takes at least a week to reach such a state.

‘Even though the smell of human decay is quite specific, many people equate that smell to the smell of garbage and once the body has become rotten the smell does decrease significantly.

‘This is not the first time I have made a discovery of this kind, I’ve been faced with two or three other occasions where people have continued to sleep with the corpse of their partner.’

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW

A grieving woman who couldn’t bear to live without her husband, slept next to his corpse for almost a year (Picture: Carters)

Marcel H is thought to have died in November last year (Picture: Caters)