A hoarder who spent a decade living with the body of a murder victim talked to himself while digging holes in his garden and sent Christmas cards to a dead dog.
Bruce Roberts, 61, lived in Greenwich on Sydney’s affluent north shore in what local children described as ‘the creepy house on the corner’.
His 2017 death ended a decade-old mystery when cleaners began clearing out the ramshackle home last week and found the rotting body of Shane Snellman.
As police probe how Mr Snellman ended up wrapped in an old blanket under a pile of debris, fresh details of Roberts’ lonely life continue to emerge.
The death of Bruce Roberts ended a decade-old mystery when cleaners began clearing out the ramshackle home last week and found the rotting body of Shane Snellman (pictured)
Roberts, 61, lived in the suburb of Greenwich on Sydney’s affluent north shore in what local children called ‘the creepy house on the corner’ (police are pictured at the home)
A post-mortem examination showed Mr Snellman had suffered a number of injuries
His neighbour Bob Meagher told The Daily Telegraph he spent time ‘talking to himself quite vigorously’ as he dug in his garden.
‘He would send us a card and wish the dog a happy Christmas – even after the dog died he would still wish him a happy Christmas,’ he said.
Other neighbours recalled how Roberts’ peculiar behaviour progressed to paranoia, which saw him install surveillance cameras and barbed wire around his home.
‘Clearly we are dealing with someone who was fluctuating wildly between depression and psychosis,’ criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the paper.
Neighbours recalled how Roberts’ peculiar behaviour progressed to paranoia, which saw him install surveillance cameras and barbed wire around his home
Roberts spent time ‘talking to himself quite vigorously’ as he dug in his garden, his neighbour said (police are pictured at the scene)
Mr Watson-Munro said it was likely Roberts killed Mr Snellman and wanted to cover up the crime.
‘It makes complete sense to keep the body there because… the likelihood of anyone coming in and finding him is minimal,’ he said.
A post-mortem examination showed Mr Snellman had suffered a number of injuries and his death is being treated as suspicious, investigators said last week.
A gun was recovered from the property during the search and is being tested by forensic experts.
As police probe how Mr Snellman ended up under wrapped in an old blanket and under a pile of debris, fresh details of Roberts’ lonely life continue to emerge (rubbish is seen at the home)
The piles of rubbish and junk which fill the home apparently meant Mr Roberts’ body was removed without anyone noticing Mr Snellman’s corpse in the living room
A mobile phone, believed to be an older model Nokia, will also be examined for clues to Mr Snellman’s fate.
Roberts died of natural causes in the home in July 2017 and his body was discovered shortly after local shop attendants realised he had stopped going on grocery runs.
The piles of rubbish and junk which fill the home apparently meant Mr Roberts’ body was removed without anyone noticing Mr Snellman’s corpse in the living room.
Mr Roberts was reportedly a familiar sight pacing about the leafy suburb.
Roberts was a recluse hoarder who spent a decade living with the body of a murder victim
While he would quietly exchange pleasantries with neighbours and passers-by, he has been described as a ‘loner’ and ‘child-like’.
Police have confirmed he had mental health issues.
Mr Snellman was known to police for numerous crimes and had convictions for drug supply firearms possession, theft, larceny, break and enter and malicious injury.
His long-lost sister Tracy Trudgitt said the family lost contact with her older brother more than four decades ago when he was placed in the welfare system.
The body was on Tuesday named as Shane John Snellman, 30, who was known to police for multiple crimes
Roberts died of natural causes in the home (an officer is pictured in the backyard) in July 2017
She says she screamed and fell to the floor of her Sydney home when detectives told her they had found her brother’s remains.
‘I’m still in shock. I can’t believe this has happened,’ she said.
She told The Australian that Mr Snellman, who would have been 55 if alive, was one-of-five children.
She last saw her brother 10 years ago, during a jail visit, and said their father also tried to find him.
A gun and an old Nokia mobile phone may unravel the mystery of how a mummified body was left rotting inside a house for more than 10 years
No missing persons report was ever lodged with authorities, New South Wales Police said on Tuesday
‘He has never been forgotten,’ Mrs Trudgitt said on Wendesday.
Mr Snellman’s father John described his son as a ‘good boy’ with a rebellious streak which often led to trouble with the police.
‘He would work at different stages and we had him with us for a while but then he would get the wanders and away he would go,’ Mr Snellman said.
No missing persons report was ever lodged with authorities, New South Wales Police said on Tuesday.
A police dog and an officer are pictured at the home where the rotting body was found last week