Neighbours heard disturbing noises and were overwhelmed by a foul stench emanating from a $3million home before the mummified corpse of a man was found inside – leading to his stepson’s arrest.
Tomislav Nemes, 69, was found dead in a bedroom in his Gold Coast property on April 17 after concerned interstate relatives requested police do a welfare check.
Detectives believe his body had been there for between one to two years while his wife Dragica Nemes, 70, and her son from a previous marriage, Nikola Golem, 48, continued to reside at the Benowa property.
Just days after renewing a public appeal for information, police on Tuesday charged Golem with his stepfather’s alleged murder.
Sources familiar with the family’s situation have exclusively told Daily Mail Australia that Golem had a mental impairment after suffering a brain injury when he was a young boy.
The mummified remains of Tomislav Nemes (pictured), 69, were discovered by police during a welfare check at his Gold Coast home
Dragica Nemes (right) and Nikola Golem (left) are pictured inside their Gold Coast home on April 17 when police were called to the property to do a welfare check
‘That’s why he was living with his parents and didn’t work,’ they said.
‘The whole thing is really sad.’
Court documents reveal police will allege Golem killed his stepfather at the home sometime between August 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022.
He and then allegedly continued to live in the house with the body, which police say had a ‘mummified look to it’ despite there being no attempts to preserve it.
Daily Mail Australia understands that neighbours noticed a rancid smell around the house during the timeframe in which Mr Nemes is believed to have died, which they initially blamed on the murky water in the family’s neglected backyard pool.
According to sources, neighbours also heard concerning noises inside the home around the same time period. It is understood both matters have been reported to police.
Five months on from the grisly discovery, residents of the ritzy suburb – where multimillion dollar waterfront homes sit on sprawling green blocks – remain shocked over Mr Nemes’ death.
Pictured: The back of the Nemes $3million home, which overlooks a lake in the lush suburb of Benowa
The couple bought the home (pictured) on Edinburgh Road in 2008 but did not move to Queensland until around a decade later
All neighbours within the immediate vicinity – and beyond – told Daily Mail Australia they rarely saw the ‘very quiet’ family in the five years they had lived at the Edinburgh Road home after moving to Queensland from the ACT.
They said the family, who migrated to Australia from eastern Europe decades ago, ‘kept to themselves’ and never appeared to have many friends or guests over.
One man said he had only seen Mr Nemes once since 2018, which was shortly after they had moved in. Another, who lives only three doors down, said he had never seen the family at all.
Some said they had seen Golem and Ms Nemes, albeit only a handful of times, when he would take out the garbage or she was out in the garden.
‘I would say hi, but the son wouldn’t respond to you,’ one neighbour said.
‘The house always seemed rundown. They never mowed the grass out the front. Other neighbours kindly offered to do it for them, because they wouldn’t.
‘After they discovered the body, a mowing company was called there to do maintenance. They were there for two whole days.’
One man said he believed Golem had not been at the home since Mr Nemes’ body was discovered, as the bins were no longer regularly taken to the kerb.
However, he said Ms Nemes appeared to still be living at the property, although she ‘never seems to go out’.
Neighbours say they rarely saw the family outside over the past five years. Pictured: Mr Nemes
Mr Nemes is pictured on his wedding day
He said he noticed aid workers visiting the house in recent months, with a group of people at the property a few weeks ago loading furniture into a ute.
Ms Nemes has not broken cover since her son’s arrest last week, but appeared to be home on Wednesday, when the front blinds of the home were closed by someone inside in response to reporters knocking at the front gate.
However, a group of friends – three women and a man – were seen stopping by Ms Nemes home briefly on Thursday.
Asked how Ms Nemes was coping given the circumstances, one of the woman told Daily Mail Australia she was ‘not doing well’.
While the Nemes remained an enigma to those who lived around them, there were signs the family were facing hardships in the lead up to Mr Nemes death.
One neighbour reported seeing several tradesman rocking up to the house and trying to confront the owners for payment over the past few years.
Court records obtained by Daily Mail Australia show a local plumbing business lodged a complaint against Mr Nemes for $4463 for an unpaid bill.
The owner of the business said he was contacted by Mr Nemes in October 2021 to install two hot water systems for the house.
But in the weeks that followed, he repeatedly tried to chase up the money only for Mr Nemes to repeatedly plead for an extension.
Ms Nemes associate (pictured) said the 70-year-old was ‘not doing well’ in the wake of her son’s arrest
A group of friends were seen visiting Ms Nemes on Thursday as she continues to live at the property alone
‘I went there a couple of months later and he said he couldn’t pay, I said ok we will give you another month.
‘He said “oh, there’s been a death in the family”, then there was “I’m having issues with my bank. He just kept coming up with excuses.’
Eventually, the plumber said he took Mr Nemes to the small claims court, but the case was tossed out when the defendant didn’t show up.
‘I still haven’t been paid,’ he said.
Last week, as investigators urged tradesmen who had been at the home to contact police, the plumber said he had provided a statement to officers.
According to his testimony, he last saw Mr Nemes in November 2021 – which would narrow the time frame police had previously ascertained for the death by two months.
Business records show Mr Nemes used to operate a construction company in Canberra, including one supplying contractors for construction job, while they were living in the suburb of Bruce.
While living in the ACT, the Nemes bought the Benowa home for $1.5million in 2008 before renting it out for several years before retiring and moving to Queensland.
Despite the retrospective odd smell and peculiar noises, neighbours said nothing seemed amiss when Mr Nemes disappeared as they rarely ever saw him in the first place.
While Mr Nemes and his relatives had lost touch with him over the years, they contacted police after finding it ‘unusual’ such a long time had passed without any contact at all.
Relatives had flown from Canberra to the Gold Coast to see him just three days before police were called to do a welfare check.
Footage of the check up released by police shows officers jumping over the back fence of the home and banging on the back sliding doors.
A female officer can be heard telling the occupants to open up the doors before police enter, to see Ms Nemes and Golem standing in the living room.
Golem was not required to appear in person when his case was heard for the first time in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He was remanded in custody and the matter was adjourned until September 22.
As investigations continue, detectives have urged anyone who had been at the property in recent years to contact police.
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