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noaccess

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 11, 2005
445
1
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Governments have changed. War erupted and ended. Neighbors had children, and then grandchildren. But Hedviga Golik never left her tiny apartment in Croatia's capital -- until her mummified body was carried out this week, 35 years after she died.

Police said Friday that no one ever reported Golik missing and no one has come to claim her body.

Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her. Startled by the remains in bed, they called police.

Forensics experts said Golik likely died in 1973, about the time a neighbor last saw her. Expert Davor Strinovic said she seemed to have died of natural causes, but "it's almost impossible to say for certain" after so much time.

Some of Golik's neighbors claimed she had talked about going abroad.

Experts said her windows had been open, likely diminishing the smell. It remained unclear who -- if anyone -- was paying her bills and who exactly owned the apartment. In the 1970s, when Golik died, apartments were state-owned.
Linky

For some reason, other sources are reporting she died 42 (!) years ago, in the '60s. Either way, pretty depressing how someone could go unnoticed for so long. :eek:
 

iJohnHenry

macrumors P6
Mar 22, 2008
16,530
30
On tenterhooks
I agree with you, for the first time I think. :D

I just knew you would come around, sooner or later.

Harsh to say, but life is for the living, especially in this case where no family is grieving.

This is why New Yorkers peruse the Death Notices, looking for rent-controlled "opportunities".
 

iJohnHenry

macrumors P6
Mar 22, 2008
16,530
30
On tenterhooks
But for that "greed", she would still be undiscovered.

And for how long??

The woman's life deserves closure, with the usual trappings of the day.

For me??? .... Meh. ;)
 

marbles

macrumors 68000
Apr 30, 2008
1,776
1
EU mostly
snippet
This is why New Yorkers peruse the Death Notices, looking for rent-controlled "opportunities".

What do you mean ?. they like look for folk who have died and then steal there place or want to rent the place the dead person lived cos real estate premiums ?

weird either way
 

PlaceofDis

macrumors Core
Jan 6, 2004
19,241
6
But for that "greed", she would still be undiscovered.

And for how long??

The woman's life deserves closure, with the usual trappings of the day.

For me??? .... Meh. ;)

she's had closure for the past 35 years i'd say. being buried in the ground doesn't equate closure or any sort.

35 years is hardly immediately clamouring! :p

no, but as soon as its discovered, its greed time.
 

tsice19

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2008
703
0
I truly do feel sorry for this woman. No family, no friends, to miss her when she doesn't come around.

You'd think after she didn't pay the rent they owner would come and try and kick 'er out.
 

Sayer

macrumors 6502a
Jan 4, 2002
981
0
Austin, TX
Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her.

Wow. They have Democrats in Croatia too. When they run out of apartments is the government going to nationalize all office buildings instead of letting construction/real estate companies build new ones?
 

RedTomato

macrumors 601
Mar 4, 2005
4,155
442
.. London ..
I think that's a translation mistake.

I imagine that some sort of communal bill was going unpaid, maybe for rooftop renovation or something, and possibly the tenants committee decided to force entry to seek payment.
 

JML42691

macrumors 68020
Oct 24, 2007
2,082
2
I think that's a translation mistake.

I imagine that some sort of communal bill was going unpaid, maybe for rooftop renovation or something, and possibly the tenants committee decided to force entry to seek payment.
I'm assuming that too, it must have been a translation error, but even then, wouldn't you be somewhat alarmed when you don't see your neighbor at all through 35 years, granted, many people probably came and went, but I would have been surprised to not see my neighbor after a week or two, yet alone 35 years.
 

teflon

macrumors 6502a
May 28, 2007
792
0
Well it depends on the relationship between the neighbours in that building and how well the neighbours knew the woman. I've lived in a "gated community" of townhouses for two years, and I can say that me or any of my family wouldn't notice if one of the neighbours disappeared as most people don't really interact with each other. The families with younger children interact a bit more often as their kids play together, but for most neighbours, everyone is just a face that you pass by once in a while. Save for maybe one or two families, I really don't know who my neighbours are.
 

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
I'm assuming that too, it must have been a translation error, but even then, wouldn't you be somewhat alarmed when you don't see your neighbor at all through 35 years, granted, many people probably came and went, but I would have been surprised to not see my neighbor after a week or two, yet alone 35 years.

come on I know there are people in the apparment next to mine but I have not seen or heard from them in months. The only reason I know some one lives there is the entry mat and somes a bag a trash by the door to be taken down the next morning. Never seen the person and think nothing of it.
 

26139

Suspended
Dec 27, 2003
4,315
377
huh?

The families with younger children interact a bit more often as their kids play together, but for most neighbours, everyone is just a face that you pass by once in a while. Save for maybe one or two families, I really don't know who my neighbours are.

That's so sad. People shouldn't be isolated like that, man. The world is just one big community.
 

JML42691

macrumors 68020
Oct 24, 2007
2,082
2
come on I know there are people in the apparment next to mine but I have not seen or heard from them in months. The only reason I know some one lives there is the entry mat and somes a bag a trash by the door to be taken down the next morning. Never seen the person and think nothing of it.
I didn't mean it like actually having contact with them, I meant more of the things that you are noticing with the people near you. Hearing doors open, noise inside, trash, ect. Just little things like that which show that some activity is going on.
 

ms.gio

macrumors regular
Aug 28, 2007
128
0
Chicago, Illinois
I just finished reading this story and I find it quite sad. It's hard to believe that her neighbors and family didn't look for her.

But, wow, 35 years... One would think that someone would have missed her and became concerned.
 

teflon

macrumors 6502a
May 28, 2007
792
0
That's so sad. People shouldn't be isolated like that, man. The world is just one big community.

It is, but everyone is so busy with their own lives that they don't really go around poking their head in everyone else's (and I don't mean it in a negative way). We all have our own friends and families, and spend our spare time with them instead of our neighbours.
However, it also depends on the place. In my parents' apartment complex many neighbours are quite close to one another. In fact, a neighbour has a key to our house in case someone locks themselves out. But again, having young kids help as my parents first connected with the other neighbours because the kids were playing together. Couples that have no kids or have older kids don't have nearly as much connection.

I didn't mean it like actually having contact with them, I meant more of the things that you are noticing with the people near you. Hearing doors open, noise inside, trash, ect. Just little things like that which show that some activity is going on.

Not a lot of people pay such close attention to their neighbours. Especially in an apartment building, who knows if the door you heard closing was the one beside you or across. Also you don't put your garbage outside your door, you put it in the shared garbage place. So no one knows if you have taken out the trash or not. In the apartment building that I used to live, I don't recall hearing much of my neighbours as they're pretty quiet.

It's reality. Teflon's situation is the norm, not the exception.

Yea, because if you think about it, everyone comes home from work/school, tired, and just drives straight into their own garage. Then they either do more work or spend some time relaxing or socializing, in their own house. It's not like you can just go knock on your neighbours' doors and hang out when you're bored.
 

GSMiller

macrumors 68000
Dec 2, 2006
1,666
0
Kentucky
Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her.

I wonder how badly they want the loft now.
 
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