Heartbreaking story of woman who died in her apartment and wasn't discovered for decades

A dead woman was left in her home for over three decades before being discovered.

In 2008, police were alerted to the remains of a woman being found in a bed in an apartment in Zagreb, Croatia.

It's believed that residents had long questioned if anyone lived in the home in question and eventually, curiosity got the better of them and they broke into the apartment.

It was then that they discovered Hedviga Golik, a former nurse, unresponsive in her bed.

Speaking at the time, neighbor Sime Ugar said, as per News24: "When I entered, I noticed something on the bed of this tiny dark apartment. I ran out and we called police."

Reportedly her neighbors last spoke of seeing her in 1973, which police presumed was around the time she died.

The woman was from Zagreb, Croatia (Getty Stock Image)

As to why they never raised questions about her whereabouts, those who lived close by said that apparently Hedviga had long spoke of moving abroad so presumed that she'd done so, Fox News reported.

It has also been speculated that she actually died in 1966. The exact timeline of her passing hasn't ever been confirmed as investigators admitted that it was 'almost impossible to say for certain'.

In regards to her cause of death, it believed to have been natural. She was only young and reportedly passed away at the age 49, said Croatian news outlet Jutarnji.

Nobody reported her missing and no living relatives came forward in 2008 when the news broke about her remains being in her apartment for decades.

There was speculation about how nobody noticed the smell of Hedviga's mummified remains, something which The Institute of Forensic Medicine apparently weighed in on.

Neighbors ending up alerting police to the woman's body (Getty Stock Image)

According to Jutarnji, if Hedviga passed away in the winter months and had a blanket on or lots of clothing, then this would supposedly help mask the smell.

Also, rotting corpses only smell for a period of a few weeks or months until it mummifies, so eventually the smell coming from Hedviga's apartment (had anyone noticed) would have subsided.

Deputy representative of the Institute, Davor Strinović, still found it unusual that nobody smelt anything coming from the home, however.

A similar incident happened in more recent years in the UK after Laura Winham's body wasn't found in her apartment until three years after her passing.

Her remains were found in 2021 after her family became concerned for her welfare. Laura's brother and mother were present when police arrived to find her mummified remains.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].