Manner of man's death listed as natural after his decomposing body found in NW Harris Co. home
A gruesome discovery in March led deputies to believe a man may have lived with a corpse for months before taking his life.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- An autopsy has revealed how a person died after his decomposing body was found four months ago in a northwest Harris County home. In that same house, deputies also discovered a man who may have been living with the corpse for months before taking his own life.
The video above is from the original report.
On March 11, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said it responded to the 6800 block of Kilwinning Drive when a neighbor called for a welfare check on the home after noticing several flies.
Deputies also saw the flies and smelled a foul odor when they responded, which prompted them to enter the home.
"As they made entry into the home, they heard one gunshot. They cleared the home and found a male body in a bedroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Deputy Thomas Gilliland told ABC13 in March.
In a separate room, deputies found another man, who they said had been dead for several months, and his body was "severely decomposing."
That man was identified as Joseph Stalcup, whose manner of death was ruled as natural by the medical examiner's office. His cause of death was listed as "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease."
Neighbors said the two men were fairly private and mostly kept to themselves. The relationship between them remains unclear, but HCSO said it appears they were living together in that house.
