The body of a pensioner was discovered “devoured from the waist up” by her house cats after her neighbors reported a terrible stench from her home.
Clara Ines Tobon, 79, was eaten by at least five of her seven animals in her Madrid apartment after her death.
Firefighters broke into their home Monday after neighbors raised concerns about the smell and a number of flies.
The Colombian, who has lived alone since 1996, is said to have been dead for at least three months.
A national police officer told a neighbor that she was “eaten from the waist up,” reports El Mundo.
They allegedly said it was “the worst thing they’ve seen in their entire career”.
Tests are being conducted to find out if Covid was a factor in Clara’s death after local residents said she was unwell since last year.
Neighbors first sounded the alarm after not seeing her for several weeks – as Clara usually went to the local fruit market or fed stray cats.
The police were called from her home because of the terrible stench, where they found her body in a serious state of decay.
Although her door was sealed, the smell reportedly persisted in the upper parts of the building.
Police said her apartment was filled with trash and cat feces and five of the cats had also died.
The dead cats’ stomachs are tested to see if they contain the remains of their owner.
The two surviving pets, who were in poor health, were taken to the city animal welfare center.
She has been reported to suffer from Diogenes Syndrome – where sufferers show extreme self-neglect, domestic misery, social withdrawal, and compulsive hoarding of trash or animals.
The 79-year-old, who had no family in Spain, paid her rent, said a spokeswoman for the housing association IVIMA.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission
