Police were investigating the death of a person at a home in Garfield Ave, Roslyn, which a neighbour yesterday described as belonging to a man living a "reclusive lifestyle".
Police said in a statement yesterday the body had possibly been at the property for some time.
The home was the scene of an armed police raid in 2009 when a German woman called for help after spending almost a month with the homeowner, whom she met on MySpace.
Police had hurled stun grenades through the kitchen windows in the rescue mission.
The woman, Maja Gille — the daughter of a respected German artist — said at the time the home was a horror house with roosters, cats and chickens living inside.
Dust and rubbish were strewn about and the house smelt of dead animals and old clothes.
A Garfield Ave resident, who declined to be named, said yesterday the house had no power and belonged to a reclusive forager who lived off-grid.
"He had chickens, he had wild cats. It’s a hole of a place — disgusting.
"You would see him going around on his bicycle and foraging for things, but I haven’t seen him for ages."
Police said the investigation into the death was in its infancy and they were working with Environmental Science and Research (ESR) and a scene team to remove the body for forensic pathology examination.
A formal identification was yet to be done.
