A 68-year-old woman’s decomposing body was discovered in her Palmview home, which she shared with her mentally challenged daughter.

According to Prem Balram, a spokesperson for Reaction Unit SA (RUSA), they received a call from a neighbour at about 18:08 on Monday evening. “The neighbours requested assistance after hearing of the discovery.”

Balram said reaction officers and paramedics were dispatched to the residence. “On arrival, the 47-year-old daughter led officers to a bedroom where she insisted her mother was asleep. The elderly woman was discovered on her bed, partially covered with a blanket. Her body was in an advanced stage of decomposition.”

Balram said to neighbours, the deceased was last seen on Friday. Her daughter verified this, adding that her mother had fainted immediately after returning home from shopping at a nearby grocery. She helped her mother to her bedroom, where she promptly fell asleep.

Neighbours inquired about her mother’s health on Monday afternoon. The daughter informed them that she was still asleep. “Upon peering through the bedroom window they noticed the decomposed body and contacted RUSA for assistance.”

Balram said a post mortem would be conducted to establish the cause of death.