Sad indeed. And a reminder that mental health, while often overlooked or not taken seriously, is an important and critical element of a functioning and healthy life
I can't blame the neighbors for not breaking the door down, or trying more aggressively to check in on him.. that would set an unusual precedent. From a neighbor's perspective, they did all they reasonably could.. knocked on the door, checked in on the house, heck, one even called the police for a welfare check
What disappoints me, is that the police (apparently, per the article) did little more than knock on the door. I would assume police power gives them the right to enter the home if they feel it appropriate.. given that they received a request for a welfare check, and saw the house in a state of dilapidation, I would have thought that would be enough clues to go in and check on the guy.. although by that point he was probably already dead, and if he was as paranoid as it sounds, then I doubt, if he was alive, that meeting with the police would have gone over well
Sad all around.
