Two corpses were found on Thursday in advanced states of decay in northern and southern Taiwan.
In New Taipei City, human remains were found floating in the underground water storage tank of an apartment complex in Banciao District (板橋) after residents complained of a “spoiled seafood” odor when they used their faucets.
Given the condition of the body, police estimated it had been in the water tank for at least 10 days. Workers had to enlarge a hole in the tank to remove the bloated corpse.
Forensics experts said that the person was as a man; police have not established what happened.
Officers said that the body was naked; clothes and slippers were found next to the tank, they said.
It is possible that the deceased was homeless and died while trying to use water from the tank, which might have been accessed from behind a stairwell on the first floor, police said.
The cover over the water tank can be easily removed by manual force, they said.
A water truck was sent to provide clean water for residents, who for the past few days had been bathing, washing and cooking with contaminated water, officers said.
The cause of death is to be determined by an autopsy, police added.
Meanwhile, in Tainan, police were alerted when workers at a Madou District (麻豆) recycling company found skeletal remains inside a discarded refrigerator.
After examining identification documents in a wallet at the scene, police identified the deceased as a male former employee surnamed Hsieh (謝) who resigned from the company about 18 months ago.
He had not been seen at the company since then, they added.
The identification was verified by Hsieh’s family, who said that marks on the skull matched his history of brain surgery.
Hsieh’s family said that they filed a missing person’s report after his disappearance on March 29 last year.
As the deceased was found inside the refrigerator with a can of butane and a can of pesticide, police said further investigation is required, and that they have not ruled out suicide or foul play, adding that they found no signs of a struggle or fighting near where Hsieh’s remains were found.
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