A 66-year old German woman was discovered in her apartment, sitting dead in front of a television. She had been there for about 6 months.

The Frankfurter Neue Presse reported this week that the woman died of natural causes while wearing her nightgown and watching television. Her “partially mummified” body was discovered by her landlord, who investigated after seeing the woman’s mailbox full of mail.

Other residents said there had been an unpleasant smell, but no one contacted authorities until the landlord discovered the deceased woman. A common question is how such a scenario could occur without the deceased occupant’s utilities being shut off. Recent similar cases have shown that this can occur when the resident sets up their bills to be automatically paid each month.

This story is reminiscent of the somewhat-disputed account of a woman who allegedly sat dead in front of her television for 42 years.