Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Oakland-ish
Posts: 6041

Burglars find man's mummified body

Jason Proctor
The Province


Thursday, January 03, 2002

The ghoulish New Year's Eve discovery of a mummified pensioner in a small Prince Rupert home has scared a pair of thieves into do-gooders and shocked a caring community into serious self-reflection.

People around the tight-knit northern town were scratching their heads last night, wondering how an 81-year-old man -- by no means a hermit -- could go dead unnoticed for at least nine months before a couple of local hoods alerted police to his death after stumbling across the calcified corpse while breaking into the victim's home Monday.

The communal guilt is even further compounded by the discovery of the unknown Italian gentleman's will -- and his bequeathal of what police will only describe as a "generous" sum to the interests of the people of Prince Rupert.

"I'm astounded. It's so unlike this community. Everybody is -- probably excessively -- minding people's business at times," long-time city councillor Paddy Greene said last night.

"It just seems . . . 'bizarre' is the word that comes to mind."

Coroner Martin Negus examined the man's body at the small, detached single-family dwelling where he lived alone. The house was chilly -- about 8 C. The telephone had been cut off, but the electricity was still working. Months of mail and flyers had gone unattended.

The man was lying on the floor of his bedroom. He appeared to have died of natural causes.

"I've never attended a body that mummified," said Negus.

"I've been doing this for some time, and this is the first time that this has happened."

Police say the thieves -- a duo of well-known small-time crooks -- were horrified. Reluctant to give their names to police at first, they eventually led officers to the scene. The experience appears to have been punishment enough -- no charges are pending.

"They were mortified as to what they had seen," said acting Staff-Sgt. Lance Stewart. "They were quite horrified to discover the deceased in the bedroom and quickly forgot about their purpose in being in the house.

"They composed themselves and, after some discussion, they contacted us."

As word of the death spread around Prince Rupert and news emerged of the generous man's last wishes -- the details of which police will not disclose -- people who work with the elderly were at a loss to explain how someone could fall so far between the cracks in a town of 15,000.

"I'm surprised. Number one -- the postman should have noticed. Let's face facts. Flyers. Newspapers. There must be someone around. How does he get his groceries?" asked Josie Mackey, who works with Home Support for the City of Prince Rupert and Port Edward.

"Even if you're not friendly, you sort of know who your neighbours are."

Police were trying to contact relatives believed to be in Ontario and Italy.

Stewart said he's never seen a death go so long unnoticed in town -- one whose tragedy is compounded in the victim's generosity from the grave.

"We're a little saddened by the fact that, although he was a loner, no one thought to notify us," said Stewart.

"There obviously were people that had an interest in him, but nobody called us."

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35962

That sort of thing happens a bit in London. People keep themselves to themselves quite often.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Oakland-ish
Posts: 6041

Recluse's will: just keep my grave clean

Gregory Middleton
The Province


Friday, January 04, 2002

Fillipo Falcone lay dead in his house (above left) for nine months before his body was bound.


A Prince Rupert resident whose body went undiscovered for nine months has left part of his fortune to take care of the city-owned cemetery where he will be buried.

Fillipo (Pete) Falcone, 80, left about $140,000 and a house that was debt free, adding up to an estate worth more than $200,000, chartered accountant Praveen Vahora said yesterday.

He left his estate to the city.

"The only provision was that some of the money go to the upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery," Vahora said.

Falcone's mummified body was found on the floor of his bedroom on New Year's Eve by two burglars who had an attack of conscience and called the police.

Falcone was an Italian immigrant who came to Prince Rupert in the 1950s and worked as a longshoreman. He lived out his life in a modest three-bedroom 1950s-era bungalow on the main street.

Neighbours say most of the houses on the block are rentals and no one knew the old man, who never married.

The Catholic church in Prince Rupert had no record of him. Nor did the legion or the Salvation Army. At the longshore hiring hall he was only vaguely remembered.

Vahora said Falcone went to a lawyer in June 2000 asking for someone to take care of his affairs. He had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

He had a niece in Ontario and relatives in Italy, but no one close enough to look after his affairs after he died, Vahora said.

"I said I wanted to meet the man before I agreed (to be executor)," Vahora said. "I tried to get in touch with him a few times without success. I guess he went ahead and made out the will."

Vahora said he will take on the job "out of respect" for Falcone.

"There is quite a bit to sort out. His pension cheques just kept coming and were deposited directly into his bank account and bills like his Hydro were paid by direct debit."

Prince Rupert coroner Martin Negus believes Falcone died in March, in part because his phone was cut off in June and the phone company normally waits three months before disconnecting.

"It's sad. It's just so sad that this gentleman would be there so long," Negus said. "All death is sad, but this is sadder than most."

He said Falcone was reclusive but he will look into why no one discovered the death for so long.

"You can have all the programs in the world, but if people keep saying, "Keep away, keep away," there is not much you can do."

Corp. Al Goodyear of Prince Rupert RCMP said Falcone had been in hospital and had homecare for a short time afterwards.

Canada Post spokesman Bob Taylor said Falcone's letter carrier noticed the mail and papers piling up last March. He checked with neighbours and knocked on Falcone's door to no avail.

Taylor said they decided Falcone, who had said he might move back to Italy, had left the country.

Mail service was discontinued March 28.

Falcone will be buried Tuesday.

Acting mayor Kathy Bedard expects it will be a small service. "Nobody really seems able to put a face to this fellow," she said.

Bedard said the city has been restoring the cemetery, which is built on muskeg. "It's not in the greatest shape. A number of the graves have sunk in."

She said some of the money would probably go to building a columbarium -- an above-ground building for storing ashes.

As for guilt about Falcone lying dead in his home for nine months, she said: "No. It's sad that this fellow died alone, but I don't think people feel guilty."

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 1726

You would think that the mail piling up, not to mention newspapers, might alert someone. Very sad. No family called in all that time? Watch them show up for the funeral looking for $$

Grrr

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Tn
Posts: 232

Maybe these people prayed to God in their final hour to be left alone by all the nosy motherfuckers who was always in their shit, God does perform miracles, ya know.

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