The building does not look like much. A pale gray facade, gutted in its center to allow cars to pass through. This building is located on the edge of a sloping alley in a district of eastern Toulouse near Balma. Lawrence
lived there alone for 25 years in a small studio on the ground floor. His corpse, in advanced putrefaction, was discovered on February 5. He had been decomposing for four months. The criminal trail was quickly ruled out, Laurent died a natural death after internal bleeding.

This 63-year-old cleaning agent was soon to claim his retirement rights. Described by his neighbors as a very discreet character, he was not used to pouring out. He was always courteous and conversations with other residents were often limited to “hello, good evening”.

She goes through obituaries, phones hospitals
Passionate about computers, he was able to spend hours playing video games. During the day, he had gotten into the habit of never fully raising his roller shutter. Only a trickle of natural light filtered into the studio.
The shutter remained stuck in this position for months, without it moving anyone.
It took his owner to start worrying for things to finally move. Laurent hadn’t paid his rent, which was unusual for him. She had then tried to reach him, without success.

As time went on, always more worried, she had begun to advance the death notices published in official announcements or by inquiring from local health establishments. History to know if Laurent was not hospitalized in one of them. Finally, she had resolved to call the police. The police had advised him to go directly to the apartment. “She asked me to accompany her because she needed a witness,” says Mireille, a neighbor of Laurent whom she met regularly in the hall.

Residents shocked

The two women and the owner’s companion discovered Laurent lifeless on his bed in street clothes.
“He was still wearing his shoes… Even if we didn’t have friendly relations, he was part of my daily life. To think that he died alone like that really hurts my heart, ”says the retiree.
The news quickly made the rounds of the building, especially after the police and funeral directors passed by, everyone wondering how the terrible discovery could have happened so late.
One of the residents then remembered that there was a rather unpleasant odor emanating from Laurent’s studio, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Especially since she had disappeared after a few weeks. Normal in a body’s natural cycle of degradation…
This kind of facts remains exceptional even in a big city like Toulouse. In general, the emergency services are alerted by acquaintances or the family much earlier. A sign that Laurent was particularly lonely.