An old mobile phone found at the home where a mummified body was discovered last week could hold vital clues to the dead man’s last moments.
The man, believed to have been rotting inside the derelict Greenwich property in north Sydney for more than 10 years, was named on Tuesday as Shane John Snellman.
A mobile phone, believed to be an older model Nokia, will be examined for clues to Mr Snellman’s fate, police have revealed.
The man, believed to have been rotting inside the derelict Greenwich property in north Sydney for more than 10 years, was named on Tuesday as Shane John Snellman (pictured)
A mummified body has been found a a house in Greenwich with police searching the house for any clues
Police believe a gun and old phone may unravel mystery of the mummified body
Mr Snellman was known to police for numerous crimes, which AAP understands were low-level, and no missing persons report was lodged with authorities, NSW Police said.
His long-lost sister, Tracy Trudgitt, says the family lost contact with her older brother more than four decades ago when he was placed in the welfare system.
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 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 says their father also tried to find him.
‘He has never been forgotten,’ Mrs Trudgitt said on Wendesday.
The body was on Tuesday named as Shane John Snellman, 30, who was known to police for multiple crimes
Mr Snellman was known to police for numerous crimes, which AAP understands were low-level
A mobile phone, believed to be an older model Nokia, will also be examined for clues to Mr Snellman’s fate
Mr Snellman at some point wound up dead in the run down home of hoarder Bruce Roberts in the northern harbourside suburb of Greenwich.
A post-mortem examination showed he had suffered a number of injuries and his death is being treated as suspicious, investigators said last week.
A gun was reportedly recovered from the property during the search and is being tested by forensic experts.
Mr 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
Piles of rubbish and junk stacked in the home helped shield Mr Snellman’s corpse when authorities removed Mr Roberts’ body
Piles of rubbish and junk stacked in the home helped shield Mr Snellman’s corpse when authorities removed Mr Roberts’ body.
The executor of Mr Robert’s estate sent cleaners to the home last week. The cleaners discovered the skeletal remains under a pile of debris.
Mr Roberts was reportedly a familiar sight pacing about the leafy suburb.
While he would quietly exchange pleasantries with neighbours and passers-by, he has been described as a ‘loner’ and ‘child-like’ while police confirmed he had mental health issues.
It now seems investigators are being forced to consider whether Mr Roberts was living for years alongside Mr Snellman’s corpse.