Mummified corpse of British woman found at her home on the Costa del Sol

THE mummified body of a British woman, 71, has been found at a property where the daughter and granddaughter reportedly lived alongside the corpse for up to a year.

Guardia Civil discovered the ‘skeletal and mummified’ remains under a mattress, still wearing clothes and surrounded by air fresheners at a house Istan, close to Marbella.

The macabre finding, investigated by the Benemerita Judicial Police Unit, was made early hours of yesterday (Saturday), after a call from the daughter of the deceased.

According to reports, she contacted the police after the dead woman’s husband found out and told her and her teenage daughter to go to the police.

Officers visited the property and reportedly found the mother’s body hidden under a mattress and cardboard.

Initial inspections and a forensic examination carried out yesterday at the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML) in Malaga, found no sign of violence.

Investigators believe she may have died of natural causes, although this is still to be confirmed by a post mortem.

As well as the cause of death, examiners want to find out exactly when, though it is believed it could have been last March, based on statements by family members.