Kentish Express Ashford & District
Mystery over man’s body left undiscovered in flat for weeks
Mystery surrounds the death of a man whose body may have been left undiscovered in his flat for more than a month.
Police discovered the body of Keith Goldsmith, 33, of Beaver Court, South Ashford, slumped on the sofa in his flat on Thursday, October 27, last year.
But Mr Goldsmith’s body was so badly decomposed that experts could not determine when or how he died.
A statement was read aloud at an inquest held at the Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone on Monday, from his neighbour Tracey Stanton.
She said she became aware of something not being right at his flat “as a result of a smell coming from it” and her partner Stewart Monk alerted police.
A spokesman for the force said Mr Goldsmith had not been seen for some time and officers were concerned for his welfare.
He said: “We forced entry into the address and found a male deceased on the sofa.
“There was a large quantity of mail behind the front door, fresh food in the fridge with a date September 19 and an empty milk carton in the bin dated September 21.
“A bank statement showed regular card usage up until the September 19, which was the last day the card was used.”
Christopher Morris, assistant coroner for central and south east Kent, recorded an open verdict.
He read a statement from Mr Goldsmith’s GP, which said he suffered with a pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), depression and a mentally unstable personality disorder. He also heard he was a drug user who snorted and injected heroin, frequently missed appointments and often failed to take the medication required for his DVT.
Mr Morris said: “This is a very sad case. A post mortem has not been able to identify a medical cause of death.
“We know he had suffered from significant health problems and a mobile phone revealed recent searches for fatal overdoses.
“It is important to note that police found no evidence of drug paraphernalia.
“He probably died on or around the September 19 but the evidence does not show how he came about his death. I have to record an open conclusion into his death.”