Police in Montreal say they believe an 85-year-old woman whose body was found decomposing inside an apartment with her son died of natural causes.
The woman’s body was discovered after a janitor tried to enter the Cote-Des-Neiges apartment to do emergency repair work on Sunday night.
The janitor noticed a strong smell and called police, who found the decomposing body in a bedroom.
Raphael Bergeron of Montreal police said that a 45-year-old man was transported to hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
“It seems that we might face mental issues,” he said.
“Nothing seems to be criminal,” Bergeron added. “Obviously, we’re going to have to wait for the autopsy.”
One neighbour said the elderly woman who lived in the apartment had been looking after a mentally disabled son.
Another neighbour said the woman moved in a few years ago, but she was rarely seen after that.
Police say evidence has been hard to obtain because the son was unable to answer the most basic questions. But they suspect the mother died of natural causes, leaving her son incapable of taking appropriate steps in the absence of advice of any other family members.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Stephane Giroux
