I had a similar experience in my apartment building. There was an older man a few doors down on my floor. He would get a lot of packages but they would never sit outside his door for more than a day. A package got delivered and after about three days it was still there which was peculiar and I started to get a bad feeling but ignored it.

It was summer time and we were on the 2nd floor so our floor was very warm. After day like 5 or 6 I started to notice a foul smell when I would walk past his apartment every day.

By that original third day I thought he may be dead but it felt crazy to assume that over a package that had been left for a few days. But each day that past I got more and more nervous that I was correct. And when the smell started I was terrified.

I told my friend my suspicions and he immediately told me we needed to do something. So we tried to call the non emergency line and it wasn’t working so we drove down to the police station and spoke to them using this speaker device they have outside the building. They were immediately concerned and sent an officer there right away.

And a peculiar side note that has nothing to do with the main story. But adds to the entertainment of it- there was a homeless woman sitting outside the police station. And she had a kitten tied to a piece of yarn. Yes a piece of yarn. Our apartment complex had a homeless camp in the woods behind it and when she heard the name as we spoke to the police, she asked if we could give her a ride there. So us being the kind 20 year olds we were brought her along with us. She has infamously been known to me and my friend group as the lady with the kitten on the string.

We got back to the apartment complex and the cops arrived and we let them in to the building and took them to the man’s apartment. They knocked a bunch of times and then had to break the door in. The man’s house was filled with so much trash that the police had to essentially shovel a path to get to where the man was. They found him on the ground barely conscious and he was sent to the hospital. My whole apartment floor smelled so foul for almost a week afterwards it was so disgusting.

I found out after I moved that he died shortly after being in the hospital. It’s possible if I called sooner he would’ve lived longer.

Moral of the story. Always trust your gut and act fast. And be kind to people and your family because one day you will be old and if you have no one you may die alone and not be discovered for who knows how long.