Robert Julius Alton lived alone in a small, one-bed flat opposite a primary school on the outskirts of Bolton town centre. Neighbours say they saw little of him - and knew even less.
So when, sometime in early 2017, they stopped seeing the pensioner on his occasional walks out, they assumed he'd moved away. In fact Mr Alton, thought to be 70, had died.
Tragically, his body would lay undiscovered for six years at the top of the stairs in his Hemsworth Road home until March 9 this year when housing officials forced entry to carry out a gas test.
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It has left many questioning how such a thing could happen in 21st Century Greater Manchester. Local councillor Linda Thomas told the Manchester Evening News: "It's devastating to think of someone dying like that alone.
"It's heartbreaking to think of someone in that situation. Isolation is such a terrible thing.
"In this day and age it's unbelievable that someone could die like this without anyone noticing. It just goes to show the importance of checking in your neighbours, just to make sure they're okay."
Mr Alton was described as well-spoken and was said to have had The Sun newspaper delivered on Saturdays and Sundays.
When police finally entered his home, post was piled up at the door. In the living room, a newspaper dated 2017 was found, along with a television guide dated May 4 of that year.
Mr Alton's reading glasses were sat on top. Milk dated 2017 was in the fridge.
It marked a tragic end to a solitary existence.
One neighbour said: "I spoke to him once or twice, just to say hello to. He was a nice gentleman.
"He'd only lived here for a few years and then I didn't see him and thought he'd moved out. It's been so long since he died. A lot of people have moved in and out of those flats."
Another person said: "It's not the kind of place where you know your neighbours. You say hello and that's it.
"I've lived here since the 1970s and to be honest, I don't know any of the neighbours."
Another added: "It's not the kind of place people speak to each other. I know my neighbours on either side and that's it.
"It's terrible, so sad."
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Alton's death. On March 24, Bolton police tweeted an appeal for the public's help to find Mr Alton's family. No relatives were traced.
An inquest in Bolton this week heard Mr Alton last spoke to his landlord Bolton at Home in April 2017. He last contacted his GP in 2014.
His council tax was in arrears, but his rent was still being paid through housing benefit. Coroner Peter Sigee recorded an open verdict and found Mr Alton likely died in May 2017.
It hasn't been possible to ascertain a medical cause - or precise date - of death.
Following the inquest, Bolton at Home apologised for 'missed opportunities' to find out why Mr Alton wasn't responding to attempts to contact him. Chief executive officer Noel Sharpe said in a statement 'it's completely unacceptable to us that something like this has happened' - and admitted the organisation should have done more to check on Mr Alton's welfare.
Mrs Sharpe said Bolton at Home 'made many attempts' to contact him 'over a number of years' to arrange gas safety checks, but the inquest heard there was no response from him. She said the 'reason' Mr Alton's death wasn't discovered sooner was '[their] previous procedure, while meeting legal requirements, wasn't strong enough to prevent something like this happening'.
She said the policy was changed in July 2022 so legal warrants would always be sought to obtain access to tenants' homes where they cannot be contacted to check gas supplies. It was that change that led to Mr Alton's body being discovered, the inquest heard.
In the statement, Mrs Sharpe said Bolton at Home missed opportunities in spotting something was wrong and 'didn't go far enough' to investigate why he couldn't be contacted.
She added: "I would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Robert's loved ones, friends and neighbours and apologise to them for the opportunities we missed in finding out why we couldn’t contact him."
Today (Friday) Bolton council announced a review would take place to 'identify any potential missed opportunities to act sooner'.
A council spokesperson changes could be made in the wake of the case.
"This is a tragic case which has had a profound impact on the whole Bolton community," they said in a statement. "We are currently reviewing Mr Alton's account to identify any potential missed opportunities to act sooner.
"Pending the outcome of this review, appropriate additional measures will be put in place with a view to preventing similar tragic cases in the future."
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