Bones believed to be of woman last seen in 2003 found in Surry Hills house
July 6, 2011 - 10:17AM
Mystery discovery ... the bones were found in the middle house of these three. Photo: Peter Rae
Skeletal remains believed to be those of an elderly woman last seen in 2003 have been found in an inner Sydney house.
Police found the remains on the floor in an upstairs bedroom of the terrace on Kippax Street, Surry Hills, at noon yesterday.
A relative of the woman told police she had not been seen since 2003.
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Kippax St, Surry Hills, NSW, Australia, 2010
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The woman would have turned 87 in August, police said.
2UE Radio reported that a neighbour said the woman had not been seen for 20 years. The resident believed the woman had gone to live with her brother in Rose Bay, in Sydney's east.
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she did not know the woman who lived in the house.
"We saw her many years ago, but assumed she moved away," she said.
The neighbour added that she had last seen the woman about eight or nine years ago.
"We didn't know her and we don't think anyone knew her either."
Another neighbour, David, said the neighbours on Kippax and adjacent streets always thought the house was vacant.
"We've got three houses 20 metres from where I'm standing that have been empty at least the 11 years I've been here," he said as he stood on the corner of Kippax and Little Riley streets.
"I've never seen anyone go in and out of that house ever."
David said all the neighbours in the area knew each other and had discussions about the properties they thought were abandoned.
"We discussed the fact that these are empty valuable houses. I don't think you can do anything about it if people choose to live like hermits," he said.
"I don't think there's an issue here. I think it's a quite a good community."
Katherine McQurie, another resident, said: "One thing that has been annoying the residents around here are the vacant houses. We've complained to the council about rats."
Another resident, whose property is behind the house where the bones were found, said he thought "it was an empty building".
The remains have not been identified, but the death is not believed to be suspicious.
A coronial report will be prepared.
Acting Superintendent Zoran Dzevlan of Surry Hills Local Area Command said it was sad the woman died without anybody noticing.
"This serves as a reminder for people to keep a neighbourly eye on those who live in their area, especially the elderly," he said in a statement.
Kippax Street contains mostly commercial properties with a short row of seven terraced houses at the top of the road.
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http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/bones-bel...hills-house-20110706-1h14j.html#ixzz1RHXrJs1r
