'He Was A Good Man, He Was A Warm Man': Neighbors Grieve After Body Found Heavily Decomposed In Olivehurst Home
OLIVEHURST (CBS13) - Yuba County deputies are conducting a suspicious death investigation in Olivehurst after a man who hadn't been seen in months was found dead inside his home mid-week.
His body, deputies say, was decomposed.
Neighbors of the man, who is in his 40s, detailed the concern that grew after not seeing him for a lengthy period of time.
"I went down there as soon as [Debbie Sutton] did and knocked and knocked on the door," said LD Sutton.
So when those knocks continued to go unanswered, LD and Debbie Sutton grew more concerned over their neighbor's wellbeing.
"I know that several people have went and knocked, but you know, I mean that's really all you can do," Debbie Sutton said.
After not seeing her neighbor for months, Mary Wall called the Yuba County Sheriff's Department to ask them to do a welfare check on her neighbor and his cats.
It was Wednesday when deputies and Animal Care Services showed up at the home. When they didn't get a response, they headed to the backyard where, through a sliding glass door, a body was seen decomposed in a bedroom. The neighbor Wall was worried about was dead.
"Just knowing he was in there all that time, it just makes me feel sick," Wall said.
Though so much time had passed for the body to be in such an advanced stage of decomposition, law enforcement experts say that shouldn't impact the investigation. They say evidence virtually remains the same if the scene doesn't get contaminated.
The sheriff's department says there are suspicious circumstances surrounding the man's death but won't give any further details.
"He was a good man, he was a warm man, he was a kind neighbor. There's no good outcome to a death, you know, but I just pray for him," Debbie Sutton said.
An autopsy report will be conducted by the coroner's office. The man's identity or cause of death has not been released.
