Elderly man’s body found after 10 days, mentally ill wife stayed unaware in Chikkamagaluru

Chikkamagaluru : In a heart-wrenching incident reported from Chikkamagaluru district, a 77-year-old man’s decomposed body was discovered nearly 10 days after his death, with his mentally unwell wife continuing to stay beside him, unaware of his demise.

The incident took place in Banakal village, where the deceased, Cyril Monis (77), had reportedly died at home due to illness around 10 days ago. However, his wife, who is said to be mentally unstable, failed to realise that her husband had passed away and continued living with the body as it decomposed.

The shocking incident came to light after neighbours noticed a foul smell emanating from the house and alerted the police. When officers arrived at the scene, the woman reportedly broke down and pleaded with them not to take her husband away, saying she wanted him to stay with her. The emotional scenes left locals deeply disturbed.

Police said the body had decomposed significantly, making it difficult for anyone to approach. A local social worker, Arif, stepped in to assist authorities in shifting the body for post-mortem.

Family members were not present at the time. The couple’s son, who works in a private company in Bengaluru, had been in regular contact with his mother over phone. Each time he enquired, she reportedly told him that his father was doing fine. He had recently visited the village and even taken his father to a hospital, but was unaware of his death.

Their daughter, who works as a teacher in United Arab Emirates, was also unable to travel immediately.

The last rites were eventually performed at the Banakal Christian cemetery with the help of local residents, as neither of the children could reach in time. The son, who arrived later in the evening, could not even see his father’s face one last time.

The tragic incident has left the entire village in grief, highlighting both the plight of mental health challenges and the emotional toll of isolation among elderly couples.