Body of 90-year-old found in apartment

Published: July 4, 2009 at 12:51 AM

EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 4 (UPI) -- A 90-year-old woman whose body was found in her Edinburgh, Scotland, apartment may have been dead for five years, officials said.

The body, which was found Tuesday, was tentatively identified as that of Isabella Purvis but was being tested to confirm the identification, The Daily Record of Scotland reported Friday.

Police said they were called by a neighbor in the Cononmills section reporting water dripping through the ceiling. Giovanni Cilia, owner of the Fioritalia florist below Purvis' flat, said he had not seen her since 2004 when she would often walk past his shop and pick up litter on the other side of the street.

Cilia said no one noticed the smell or asked after her but he heard there were letter and bills piled behind her door.

Representatives of the Edinburgh City Council said they were notified of the leak, but Purvis was not a council tenant.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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