KEY POINTS:
David Weatherell lay dead in his Auckland unit for up to nine days before he was found.
The 64-year-old is believed to have died after September 19 but wasn't found until the 28th when neighbours realised they hadn't seen him for some time and contacted the authorities.
Police
say he lived alone and there were no suspicious circumstances to his death. But Age Concern said the case was a reminder to look out for the vulnerable in our society.
When Mr Weatherell's family moved in to clear his unit and garage several days after he was found the discovery of a suspicious-looking device triggered a bomb-squad callout.
It was thought the device was an old grenade but family say it ended up being part of an old engine from an aeroplane. They don't even know if it was his or had been left in the garage by the previous tenant.
A death noticed described Mr Weatherell as a "dearly loved father, stepfather, brother, uncle and friend".
He is understood to have had an ex-wife, daughter and several stepchildren, although neighbours said they rarely saw anyone visiting the Pt Chevalier unit.
But his stepdaughter told the Herald the family were in regular phone contact. His ex-wife had visited the weekend before he was found but thought no one was home when no one answered her knock at the door.
The ex-wife had also made several calls to him during the week but it was not considered unusual when he didn't answer as he would often go away for work for days at a time. Neighbours, who say he kept to himself, also thought he might have gone away.
It is also understood Mr Weatherell, who registered as the director of a company called Acorn Vision in July, had just started a new job and that colleagues had been trying to reach him throughout the week.
But despite the calls from work and relatives it was the lack of sightings by his neighbours that eventually raised the alarm.
Mr Weatherell's death - which the Herald understands followed a brief illness for which he didn't seek medical treatment - highlights the risk for people living alone.
Age Concern chief executive Ann Martin said more than 76,000 people over 65 were at risk because of their isolation - something the organisation was working to alleviate.
"It's a real concern, particularly in rural areas. Currently 1700 very socially isolated older people around the country are being visited by Age Concern trained volunteers.
"The demand and need are far greater than we can manage. We have asked the Minister of Health for more resources."
