Bailiff finds mummified body tucked up in bed

A mummified corpse lay undiscovered for two years, an inquest has heard. The body of Bruce Ross, 58, was found only when a bailiff broke into his flat at the Aspen Mews complex in Sycamore Road, Stapenhill, Staffordshire. The remains were found fully clothed and beneath a blanket, which had mummified the body. Mr Ross’s corpse was so well preserved it still had hair on the face, head and chest.

The shocking discovery came to light on October 7 last year when a bailiff entered the Trent & Dove Housing-owned flat and found the remains in the bed. Mr Ross last worked as a data processor and led a relatively normal but reclusive life. No cause of death could be determined because it had been so long before a post-mortem examination could be carried out. South Staffordshire Coroner’s Court, sitting at Burton Town Hall, was told the clothes containing Mr Ross’s corpse were disintegrating with time.



Food products two years out of date were found in the kitchen and Mr Ross’s wallet was found stuffed with cash beside his bed. His bank account had been dormant for two years, with his rent paid through housing benefits, and no neighbours could say exactly when they last saw him. Coroner Andrew Haigh said there was no way anyone could know how Mr Ross met his end. “He was only found in rather sad circumstances when a bailiff had come to evict him. His body was identified by his fingerprints.”

Mr Haigh said there was ‘no obvious trauma’ to the body, so his death could be due to ‘drugs, alcohol or a previous occupation where he was exposed to harmful substances’. The coroner recorded a narrative verdict after telling the court he could not safely say Mr Ross died of natural causes. “The cause of death is unascertained,” Mr Haigh said. “It is likely he died in November 2009. It was a non-traumatic death at that home.”

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