Decomposing body of US citizen found in his room at Takoradi

The body of a Ghanaian-born US citizen has been retrieved from a room in Takoradi.

According to the Assembly member of the area, Joana Barton Oduro, the 72-year-old, identified as Anthony Wolfgang Hammond, was found dead in his room after a foul smell started emanating from his two-bedroom apartment.

Confirming the news to 3news.com, Joana Barton Oduro said that the US citizen had been alone in that accommodation for the past three years.

The report added that residents of the area traced the stench to the house of the deceased, after they also noticed that a lot of houseflies were hovering around a window.

After following the trail and breaking into his room, the body of the late US citizen was found decomposing, the report added.

It also said that a microwave machine which was beside the body in the kitchen was left open.

It is believed the man died some two weeks earlier, the assembly member added.

“His landlord broke into the room and realized he was dead. We quickly called the police and deposited his body at the Takoradi Government Hospital. We are supposed to bury the body looking at its decomposing nature but we have still not identified his relatives and so we have pleaded with the hospital to help us keep the body for some time whilst we keep searching for his family members,” Madam Barton Oduro said, according to the report.

She added that upon a search in the room of the deceased, it was discovered from his passport that he was a citizen of the United States of America.

Other items retrieved from the room were passport pictures, laptops, and mobile phones, the report added.

“His phone has been switched on but nobody has called him since and all the contacts we have seen don’t relate to any close friend or relative. We realized he tried to register for a Ghana Card and on the registration sheet his mother’s name is captured as Agnes Prah and Anthony Hammond as his father but they are all deceased.

“He is the quiet type who does not relate to anybody in the house. He has also not been seen with a friend or relative in the house he rented three years ago. We also found passport pictures and a passport indicating he is now a US citizen,” Madam Barton Oduro added.

The Assembly member also said that the passport picture of the deceased, Anthony Wolfgang Hammond, was in their possession.