Larissa: Mystery surrounds 60-year-old woman found mummified in basement

The body of the 60-year-old woman, who was found — according to information from the newspaper Eleftheria — in a mummified state inside a basement apartment in Larissa, has remained at the morgue of the Larissa Forensic Service for the past week.

The tragic case came to light by chance following the sale of the basement apartment on 28th October Street, in the Agios Konstantinos neighbourhood. Initial estimates suggest that the woman had died several months earlier, yet no one had reported her missing or searched for her.

The 60-year-old woman was found dead on the floor. A bag was discovered next to her containing, among other items, a police identity card. Based on the details on the ID, officers from the Larissa Police Department began searching for possible relatives. Genetic material has also been collected, and laboratories at the Hellenic Police Directorate of Criminal Investigations will carry out tests to formally confirm her identity.

The examinations, following the dispatch of samples on Tuesday, are expected to be completed in the coming days. Until then, the body will remain at the morgue.

According to the identity card found in the bag, the deceased is believed to be a 60-year-old woman originally from Thessaloniki. She had reportedly lived in another European country before coming to Larissa, although information about her life remains unclear.

Through a series of coincidences, the woman’s body was discovered entirely by chance. Her death — which, according to the forensic examination, was due to pathological causes — is estimated to have occurred at least a year ago.

For reasons currently being investigated by the Larissa Forensic Service, however, the body did not decompose in the usual way but instead became mummified — something recorded for the first time in the history of local forensic investigations.

The fact that the body did not undergo normal decomposition after death also meant that it was not discovered earlier because of a foul smell, as has happened in other cases.

The body was eventually found by officers from the Larissa Police Department on the morning of August 19, when they were called to open the locked apartment following its sale, given that the previous owner lives in another city.

According to the newspaper’s report, after some rent payments had been delayed, the original owner of the apartment is said to have spoken with the deceased and asked her to leave the property. This apparently created the impression that the basement apartment had been vacated and could therefore be sold.

What was ultimately uncovered was a human tragedy: under circumstances that are still being examined, the 60-year-old woman died alone and was found lying on the floor of the basement apartment, while the unusual preservation of her body prevented the tragedy from being discovered sooner.