A man is in custody after the body of a woman was found inside a New Town home where she had been dead for weeks, with Tasmania Police treating the death as suspicious.
Emergency services were called to a residence on Lissadell Court, north of Hobart, around 4pm on Saturday.
Detective Inspector David Gill said a man arrived at the property to visit and found the woman deceased on the floor of a corridor.
He said the 61-year-old woman was yet to be formally identified but was believed to have lived at the address.
“At this stage, we are treating the woman’s death as suspicious,” Gill said.
He said police were keeping an “open mind” to the possibility of natural causes, but confirmed the woman had been dead for some time.
“Upon attendance by emergency services yesterday afternoon, it was readily apparent that the woman’s been deceased for some time,” he said.
“In fact, I probably can say a number of weeks.”
The man, 55, who also lived at the property, had been detained earlier that morning for a mental health assessment after police and the acute mental health team attended the address following a referral from a third party.
Gill said officers spoke with the man at the front door but did not enter the home. He was taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital for treatment.
The woman’s body was not discovered until that afternoon, when a relative of the man arrived to visit and saw her through an open door.
The man has since been cleared by medical staff, arrested and remanded in custody at the Hobart Reception Prison. He has not been charged.
“The male person has not made any disclosures of any form to members of Tasmania Police,” Gill said.
No weapon has been identified and the house was described as “cluttered” and “chaotic”.
A crime scene remains in place and an autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning.
Anyone with information is urged to call police on 131 444 and quote report 805693 or contact Crime Stoppers Tasmania anonymously.
