The 88-year-old American who was found dead on Saturday in the Den Bonten Os hotel in Baarle-Hertog was seen a week before his death in the Albert Heijn in Baarle. This is explained by several villagers. According to a report released this weekend by the judiciary in Belgium, the man had been dead in his room for months and his body was in an advanced state of decomposition.
The man was found by his partner on Saturday. The American ex-pilot had been living with his girlfriend for several months in the hotel in the Pastoor de Katerstraat in the Belgian enclave. Not in a hotel room, but behind the hotel in an extension with several studios, where many migrant workers also live. This section is reached through a private entrance gate.
Why the man stayed in Baarle-Hertog and what happened to him is still unclear. The public prosecutor in Antwerp reports that there are no indications of a crime. After an autopsy at the University Hospital in Antwerp, it seems that the man died of natural causes. Toxicology tests are also being done to make sure he wasn’t poisoned. It is not clear how long the man was in the hotel, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Police seal
At the hotel, the receiver is immediately thrown on when information is requested and our reporter is not much the wiser either. It is clear in which room the man stayed. There is still a police seal on the window of his studio. The blinds are down.
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