A traumatized 12-year-old boy who lived next door to an apartment in which a woman's dead body lay for two and half years has opened up about being too afraid to fall asleep alone since his neighbor's tragic ordeal became known.
Sheila Seleoane, 58, died in August 2019 but was not found until February 2022.
Residents in the Peckham area of London, UK, are outraged that despite multiple attempts at raising the alarm in 2019 - nothing was done about the situation.
The skeletal remains of the deceased medical receptionist, clad in blue pajama bottoms and a white shirt, were only discovered when cops finally knocked down her door following years of complaints from her neighbors.
Chialuzue, 12, who lived down the corridor from Sheila says he is still too afraid to sleep alone after the chilling discovery.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: "Ever since the police came to knock down the door I've been sleeping with my Mum because I'm too scared to sleep alone. I don't feel like coming back home, because I don't want to get reminded of what happened."
He added: "It's affected me at school. Right now it's an assessment week. Every time I do an assessment, I just think about what happened and it brings me down."
Sheila's death was not deemed suspicious by police. A trifle in her fridge - that had long surpassed its expiry date - is a testament to how long her passing remained undiscovered.
Neighbors had made repeated complaints when maggots began invading their apartments.
Chantel, who lived in the apartment beneath Sheila's, changed her light bulbs some weeks after her neighbor is thought to have passed away and maggots dropped off the ceiling.
The problem continued, and she would find maggots all over her apartment in the subsequent months, referring to the ordeal as "like living in a horror movie".
Chantel called the building's housing association, Peabody, but was informed the company does not deal with problems with maggots.
Audrey recalled arriving home after a work trip and said there was a foul stench "like a dead body" as she went up in the elevator. Other residents resorted to putting towels and sheets under the door to keep the odor out.
A Peabody spokesperson previously shared the following statement: "In February last year, we realized that Sheila Seleoane had died in her flat and had remained there for more than two years. We were, and remain, devastated that this could have happened.
"We must and will learn from what happened to make sure we always put our residents first and that this never happens again.
"We understand how devastating this has been for residents of Lords Court. We’ve apologized and have been working hard since to try and repair the relationship with residents over the past year since Sheila was found.
"We are so sorry that this happened. Clearly we still have a long way to go. We’re continuing to try and find new homes for residents who wish to move."
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