PALMA, Spain — A 43-year-old man has been arrested in Majorca after authorities discovered he had been living with the decomposing body of his mother in a flat he reportedly hadn’t left in eight years.
The man, identified locally as Javier S., was found inside the apartment in the Santa Catalina neighborhood of Palma, where police discovered the lifeless body of his 80-year-old mother, Antonia, lying on her bed with a radio still playing and a fan running nearby. Javier allegedly sealed her bedroom door with insulating tape to contain the odor of decomposition.
He told investigators he had survived on a stockpile of biscuits, rice, and chickpeas purchased by his mother before her death, which he claimed occurred about a month earlier. Neighbors said they hadn’t seen Javier leave the apartment in over a decade, with some estimating it had been 13 years since his last sighting.
Authorities were alerted after a neighbor reported not seeing Antonia for several weeks. Police and firefighters arrived to force entry, but Javier opened the door himself and informed them of his mother’s death.
A preliminary post-mortem report suggested a possible violent cause of death. Javier, who denies any involvement, appeared in court and was released on bail pending further investigation and the full autopsy results. He has not been formally charged but is under investigation for “committing a crime against life.”
He is required to report to court biweekly, though officials expressed doubt about his compliance given his long-term self-isolation.
One neighbor described Antonia as mentally sharp and physically active, noting she regularly climbed the stairs to their apartment and handled all errands for her son.
Investigators from the local homicide unit are continuing to probe the circumstances surrounding Antonia’s death. Bloodstains were reportedly found in a bathroom Javier claims as his, though he maintains she died of natural causes.
