Another case of an elderly Napier man whose death went unnoticed for several weeks has brought a worrying trend into the light.
In the past six months, four similar cases have occurred in Hawke's Bay.
On Monday afternoon, a 78-year-old was found in his home-bus on a commercial property in Napier.
Detective Mike Signal said the man had been dead for four to six weeks.
"This man, like the others, was a recluse by choice and it took some time before anyone worked out that he hadn't been seen around for a while," Signal said in a statement.
The man's death was not suspicious and had been referred to the coroner, Signal said.
The bodies of two men were found within weeks of each other in September and October 2018 in their houses on Napier Hill.
One of those men, Michael Christopher Flavell was found on September 10, after neighbours noticed they had not seen him for a while and contacted police who did a welfare check.
The 72-year-old was described as a "gentle giant" - a tall, large man who loved company, but died alone.
All his immediate family had died before him and he did not have a wife or children.
In January, a third man was found dead in his home in the Tangoio area, just north of Napier.
Signal said while it was important to respect people's wishes to be left alone, that didn't mean you couldn't keep an eye on their wellbeing.
"It's the same message we give whenever one of these events occur – please keep an eye on the elderly residents living alone in your neighbourhood, and if you haven't seen them for a while go and knock on their door."
"It's the same message we give whenever one of these events occur – please keep an eye on the elderly residents living alone in your neighbourhood, and if you haven't seen them for a while go and knock on their door."
Age Concern Hawke's Bay manager Deborah Biggs said previously it was always difficult to hear that someone has passed away and it has gone unnoticed for a time.
"We all need to keep a caring eye on our neighbours and if you don't see the curtains open in the morning, or mail uncollected, knock on the door and check they are okay."
Late last year, they implemented a programme called 'Let's Share Hawke's Bay' - essentially an inter-generational flatting scenario.
"A program like this ensures older people are safer and are not as socially isolated within our communities."