Officers and bailiffs forced their way into a flat at Medveščak Street 77 in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2008 to help establish ownership of the property. Inside, they found the mummified remains of Hedviga Golik, wrapped in blankets and seated in an armchair, with a dusty cup of tea still on a table beside her and a black-and-white television in the room.
A police spokesperson said: "So far, we have no idea how it is possible that someone officially reported missing so long ago was not found before in the same apartment she used to live in. When officers went there, they said it was like stepping into a place frozen in time. The cup she had been drinking tea from was still on a table next to the chair she had been sitting in and the house was full of things no one had seen for decades. Nothing had been disturbed for decades, even though there were more than a few cobwebs in there."
Why no one noticed
Golik was last seen in 1966, at the age of 42. Locals had assumed she had simply moved out of the flat. It was not until 1973 that authorities were alerted to her disappearance.
Ordinarily, a decomposing body would have produced an unmistakable smell, but if Golik died during the colder months, the odour would have been considerably weaker, particularly as her windows remained slightly open. A notice displayed on her door may have also kept people away: "Based on the Law on Inheritance of Tenants, H. Golik was left without ownership – inheritance. Until the resolution of ownership rights, the tenants cannot dispose of the apartment and any attempt to dispose of it is a criminal offense." The sign, which appeared in 1998, was presumably not an official document but stemmed from a broader conflict among residents.
Utility bills for the flat had reportedly been settled by a man from Zagreb, the building's original designer, who died three months before the discovery. Experts believe Golik died of natural causes in 1966, though the precise cause of death remains unknown.
Hedviga Golik's life
Born in 1924 in Rijeka, which at the time was under Italian territory before later becoming part of Yugoslavia, Golik moved into the single-room loft flat at Medveščak Street 77 in 1961. Croatian news outlets reported that the flat had been bequeathed to her by a former partner who had acquired it as compensation for helping with its construction.
At the time of her death, Golik was living alone and estranged from her relatives, although many people in the four-storey building were aware she lived there. Opinions of her were divided: some neighbours described her as a hermit, while others said she was unpredictable and had been seen dashing through the streets screaming.
Neighbours speak out
Jadranka Markic, who was nine when Golik vanished, said: "I still remember her. She was a quiet woman who kept herself to herself but was polite. We all thought that she had just moved out and gone to live with relatives."
Another neighbour, Katica Carić, said Golik refused to go outside, instead choosing to "drop me a bag with money and a piece of paper saying what she needed from the store." Carić would place the items in a bucket, which Golik would then hoist up to her flat using a rope.
During the 1960s, many residents at Medveščak Street 77 believed Golik was preparing to relocate. Some had heard rumours that she was a Jehovah's Witness, while others suspected she intended to join a religious sect. Her fate remained undiscovered until the moment officers stumbled upon her mummified remains, shrouded in blankets.
