Mummified body rolled up in carpet in hoarder's home identified

Police have identified the mummified remains found inside a deceased hoarder's home in Sydney last week.

North Shore Police Area Command and the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad work at an address in Greenwich where a body has been found, Sydney, Thursday, May 31, 2018. (AAP Image/Danny Casey) NO ARCHIVING

Police take evidence from the Greenwich home where Shane Snellman's body was found. Source: AAP

Police have revealed the identity of a suspected murder victim whose mummified corpse was found in a ramshackle home on Sydney's lower north shore.

The body, which has been inside the Greenwich property for at least 10 years, was on Tuesday named as Shane John Snellman.

Mr Snellman sustained a number of injuries and his death is being treated as suspicious.

"At this stage, it is unknown when he died," NSW Police said in a statement.

The property was owned by Bruce Roberts, who has been described as a recluse and hoarder. He died of natural causes in July 2017.

Cleaners sent to clear out the Greenwich property last Tuesday discovered the skeletal remains along with Mr Roberts' junk.

The remains were so badly decomposed a post-mortem examination was required to determine the gender and age.

Mr Snellman was believed to have been estranged from his family for many years, with no missing persons' report having ever been filed, according to News Ltd.


Share
1 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world