Investigation in Tyrol

Heavily decomposed body in garden poses a mystery

This is where the body was discovered. Police investigators on the scene.(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

A macabre discovery was made by a resident in Hall in Tirol on Monday afternoon: the man discovered a badly decomposed body in his own garden. The identity and further background are still completely unclear. The Tyrolean State Office of Criminal Investigation has started an investigation.

On Monday afternoon, the resident of a house in Hall in Tirol reported the discovery of a corpse in his garden. "The officers were finally able to find a badly decomposed body in an area of the garden that was difficult to access and see," it was reported on Tuesday.

The body found was badly decomposed and partially skeletonized.

Philipp Rapold, Ermittler vom LKA Tirol

Autopsy could not clarify cause of death
The Tyrolean State Office of Criminal Investigation has taken over the case. "The body was badly decomposed and already partially skeletonized," chief investigator Philipp Rapold told the "Krone" newspaper.

Due to the condition of the remains, the cause of death could not be conclusively determined during the forensic autopsy. "We are investigating in every direction," continued Rapold. The possibility of third-party negligence cannot be ruled out.

The site where the body was found has been cordoned off.(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

Death occurred months ago
The body is likely to be a male. Identification is still pending. "We are relying on a DNA comparison and are hoping for a match in the database," explained the chief investigator. It will be around a week before a result is known.

In any case, it is assumed that the person died several months ago. However, it is completely unclear whether the body had always been lying where it was found. According to the resident, he had been looking for his cat in the area and came across the remains.