Body found at notorious property

• Published date: 18 April 2024
• Publication title: Otago Daily Times (New Zealand)

Police were investigating the death of a person at a home in Garfield Ave, Roslyn, which a neighbour yesterday described as belonging to a man living a ‘‘reclusive lifestyle’’

Police said in a statement yesterday the body had possibly been at the property for some time.

The home was the scene of an armed police raid in 2009 when a German woman called for help after spending almost a month with the homeowner, whom she met on MySpace.

Police had hurled stun grenades through the kitchen windows in the rescue mission.

The woman, Maja Gille — the daughter of a respected German artist — said at the time the home was a horror house with roosters, cats and chickens living inside.

Dust and rubbish were strewn about and the house smelt of dead animals and old clothes.

The story made international headlines, with more than 100 stories on the case appearing in German news outlets.

A Garfield Ave resident, who declined to be named, said...