The family of a man whose body lay decomposing in a Victoria home for up to five years is fighting for answers about how the tragedy occurred and what remains of his estate.
Robert Natoli, who would have turned 76 this year, was found dead in the public housing unit he shared with his sister Maria, 74, on Russell Street in Newtown, Geelong, on December 29, 2022.
Police made the gruesome discovery inside the rubbish-filled, rat-infested home after attending in an unrelated manner.
The house was owned by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) and details about the “house of horrors” have only made headlines in recent weeks.
Mr. Natoli’s cousin, Grace Natoli, said the family is now investigating the State Trustees because they believe his late grandparents left him potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Robert Natoli, who would have turned 76 this year, was found dead in the public housing unit he shared with his sister Maria, 74, (pictured) on Russell Street in Newtown, Geelong, on December 29, 2022.
Although the property was in a disgusting state and no one had heard from Robert since 2017, the matter was not resolved until police attended the property for a separate matter.
“We are talking about our family, someone has let down not only Robert and Maria, but also their grandparents and our family,” he said. The Geelong Advertiser.
She and her cousins now hope to get to the bottom of what happened to Mr Natoli’s estate, saying their grandparents would “turn in their graves” if they knew how his life ended.
The family also wants to give Natoli a proper burial once the forensic investigation, which is still ongoing, is completed.
‘Someone is profiting from his legacy and dismissed Robert and Maria as if they didn’t matter, they didn’t care. That their parents, their grandparents, their great-grandparents, their sacrifices have gone unnoticed and don’t matter,’ Grace said.
State Trustees provides legal and financial services to Victorians in need.
Some neighbors said they had “never seen” Natoli’s brother, Robert, in more than two years and urged authorities to conduct a welfare check at the public housing apartment.
Currently boarded up, the house has been forensically cleaned and will be renovated to accommodate a new tenant in the future.
It is understood that the state continued to pay Mr Natoli’s rent even after his death.
The company issued a notice to creditors of Natoli’s estate on Aug. 23, saying family members and others had until Nov. 1 of last year to file a claim.
Grace said she had written to the State Trustees to see what rights Maria had been left with.
The organization was unable to comment, saying they were only permitted to do so “under an order of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal or a court”.
“It’s not right, what happened is not right,” Grace said.
Mr Natoli had worked as a caravan supplier and had lived in Geelong for more than 40 years.
He and his sister initially grew up in Melbourne, in an Italian-Australian family who had emigrated here in the first half of the 20th century.
When officers arrived at the house, they had to break a glass panel in the door to gain entry.
Police in biohazard suits were forced to wade through floor-to-ceiling trash, rats, dead possums and human feces to reach the skeletal remains of Natoli, who had not been seen since 2017.
Natolis’ neighbors had complained to the housing department and the state representative about the horrible state of the house, which was covered in trash both inside and out.
Inside the “house of horrors”, which has now been cleared of mountains of rubbish, were dead rats and possums.
A DFFH spokesperson previously described the incident as tragic and expressed his “deepest condolences to the man’s family and friends.”
“All complaints received were taken seriously and staff attempted to address them while complying with tenants’ rights under the Residential Tenancies Act,” the department said.
‘The Department had made numerous attempts to inspect the property and contact the tenant and had a request on VCAT to secure access to the house.
“The man’s sister was immediately provided with alternative housing and support services.”
Maria Natoli was arrested and taken from her home by police after her brother’s body was found in December last year, but was released without charge..
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that a neighbor took pity on Maria and welcomed her into their home.
Belinda Holt said the woman, now about 74 years old, became homeless after police surrounded her public housing unit and ended up sleeping in a park.
Ms Holt welcomed Maria just before New Year’s Eve 2022 and said she loved “watching the fireworks on my big screen TV” and revealed part of her life story to her.
He said Maria and her brother Robert were raised in a strict Roman Catholic home.
Holt said Maria remembered wearing “a nice dress” to social dances as a teenager, but she never married or had children.
Instead, she focused on her career and landed a job at retailer Myer, where she worked her way up to administrator.
Devastated by the death of her grandparents, Maria began to suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health problems.
Another neighbor said the brothers had lived together in Geelong, on another street, in the 1980s.
Both she and Robert moved into public housing in Russell Street, Newtown.
After leaving her job, Maria continued working for the people of her suburb and cleaning neighborhood streets.
“She cleaned out people’s bins and removed gum nuts from the gutters and made a little money for it, $20 here and there,” Mrs Holt said.
‘I met (Robert) several times. He was a hermit. They were both traumatized people.