Texas man fatally shoots himself after living with decomposing body for several months

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A Texas man fatally shot himself after living with a decomposing body for several months, according to officials.

Deputies in Harris County made the grim discovery while performing a welfare check where they noticed a strong odour in the property, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Officials said that when the deputies entered the property they heard a gunshot and found the body of a 64-year-old man with a self-inflicted wound.

“In another adjoining bedroom, they did find the body of a male also that had been severely decomposed,” Harris County Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland told reporters, adding that the man had been dead for “at least several months.”

Authorities believe the second body was that of an unidentified 63-year-old man.

“The manner and cause of the death of the first male is unknown,” tweeted Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Neighbour Linda Meadows told KTRK that her family had heard the gunshot and come outside to see what had happened.

“If you ever smelled a rat in your wall, it’s awful,” Ms Meadows told the television station.

“As soon as they opened the door, you could smell it as soon as the wind blew it across the street. We knew something was really wrong.”