Woman's dead body lies in flat for 35 years

AP via CNN.com ^ | 16 May 2008 | Unattributed

[Moose4]

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Governments have changed. War erupted and ended. Neighbors had children, and then grandchildren. But Hedviga Golik never left her tiny apartment in Croatia's capital -- until her mummified body was carried out this week, 35 years after she died.

Police said Friday that no one ever reported Golik missing and no one has come to claim her body.

Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her. Startled by the remains in bed, they called police.

[Moose4]

Nice neighbors she had there.

}:-)4

[pabianice]

Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her.

[LikeLight]

Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her.

Sort of a primitive form of eminent domain?

[ASA Vet]

The rent was never due?
According to a radio news report, her TV was still on and operational.
How did she get free electric?

[listenhillary]

Will ya still need me,
will ya still feed me.
when I’m stiff as a board.

[Dr. Sivana]

Sort of a primitive form of eminent domain?

Depending on Croatian law, the tenants might actually have a right of adverse possession.

[Oztrich Boy]

Well she seemed so quiet and always kept to herself.

[HawaiianGecko]

 How can one be in an apartment/townhome/house for 35 years, not paying any utility bills or taxes and not be noticed?

[Lockbar]

Weekly World News? Oh, I forgot. They stopped publishing 7-8 months ago.

[Between the Lines]

How did she get free electric?

They were co-tennants. The utilities were divided among all the tenants of the building.

[LikeLight]

In the 1970s, when Golik died, apartments were state-owned.

From the article.

I guess she existed as a communist in the post-communist era.

[ProfoundMan]

[Between the Lines]

A much more detailed article here:

Dead Body Lies In Bed For 41 Years

[WayneS]

Socialism.

[WayneS]

...and it IS best to keep a low profile if your a communist is apost-communist world...

[dljordan]

“Sort of a primitive form of eminent domain?”

Yeah, it has a catchy name too, communism.

[Tex Pete]

I’d be mummified in junk mail!

[AlexW]

I find any of this story hard to believe.

Croatia is a Serbic country like Slovakia, where I live.
During Communism and even today, most people live in flats (apartments) in multi tenant buildings.
After communisim, flats became property of the tenants, but each pays a fee for general maintenance.
I doubt that she could have gone even one year without notice.

[AlexW]

“Socialism.”

You are behind the curve by almost 20 years.
Croatia is a beautiful country, and less socialist then the US now.

[Condor51]

Residents of her loft building in downtown Zagreb had broken into Golik's flat after deciding that the apartment should belong to them, and not to her.

Thank you Bill Clinton.
Bang-up job on your little Balkan war there buddy.