NEWPORT NEWS, VA (WTKR/CNN) - It started with a phone call.
A Virginia man received the call last week from his neighbor’s nephew, who wanted him to check on the neighbor.
The man, who asked not to be identified, told the nephew he could, but not for a couple of days since he was leaving town.
Finally over the weekend, he said he went to the house. He immediately noticed an odor coming from inside.
No one answered after several knocks, so he called police.
"I gave them the keys, they entered the house and found the gentleman,” the neighbor said.
Police said they found a body inside that had been dead for several years. Officers believe the man was in his 60s.
The neighbor said they thought the man had maybe been sent to a nursing home or moved away to live with family.
"Summer [came], we didn't smell anything,” another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said.
The man's family is in California, and he lived here alone, taking care of himself, the first neighbor said.
The last time they saw each other was 2 years ago.
"He was very secluded,” the neighbor said. “He didn't want to be bothered with a bunch of people."
Police believe there was no foul play involving the man's death.
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