Decaying dead body found in Haifa building

A dead body in a state of decay was found disposed of in an apartment in Haifa on Wednesday, according to Israeli media.

The body was found inside the wall of an apartment, wrapped in a coating of plastic on Halutz Street in Haifa. Due to the state of advanced decay and wrapping of the body, police suspect foul play and investigators believe this is a murder case, though all possibilities are being considered.

Repairman Ahmed Choupata, 59, found the body during an ordinary work shift. "I saw black nylons in the concrete, behind them was a head. I thought it was a doll," he said. "I went to the owner of the house and told him, call the police quickly." 

The age and identity of the deceased is unknown at this time, however, police speculate that the body may be that of the apartment's owner, who has been missing for at least a year, Israeli media reported.

The body will be transferred for autopsy and identification at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, Tel Aviv. Abu Kabir, formally known as the L. Greenberg National Institute of Forensic Medicine, was home to the investigation that followed the Mount Meron incident in 2021.

Haifa's Carmel Police Department have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

Repeated incident in Haifa

The body was found in Haifa's Hadar HaCarmel neighborhood, which has slowly deteriorated through the years. In recent years, it has also been the home of several murders in Haifa, Israeli media reported. Despite law enforcement's attempts to increase policing of the area in the last five years, similar crimes continue in the neighborhood.

In June 2022, the lifeless body of an 86-year-old woman was found in the trash area of a supermarket in Harish, in Israel's northern region. The body was discovered after garbage removal workers found the body in the trash, covered in bruises, Israeli media reported.

However, following an investigation, police ruled that the death was not connected to criminal manners. 

This is a developing story.