News
Coroner rules death of recluse found encased in concrete undetermined
Brief
The death of Auckland man David Stanley Hart, whose remains were found under his former Mt Eden home in 2020, has been ruled undetermined after forensic experts could not establish a cause of death.
In-depth
Hart’s skeletonised remains were discovered on 31 January 2020 during renovations at a property on Marlborough Street in Mt Eden, where he had once lived. The remains were found in a concrete mound in the basement, ending a mystery that had lasted for more than a decade.
A coroner said Hart likely died sometime between 1 March and 30 April 2004, but the exact date could not be determined. Little was publicly known about Hart, including details of his later life and the circumstances that led to his body being concealed under the house.
Hart also owned a former miner’s cabin in Blackball on the West Coast, where he stayed and pursued gold panning. People who knew him there described him as someone who returned to the area regularly in the 1970s and 1980s, while the property later fell into disrepair and was eventually sold by the Grey District Council.
A forensic pathologist found a linear fracture to the back of Hart’s skull and a rib fracture, but the condition of the remains meant it was not possible to say whether the injuries happened before or after death. The pathologist said the head injury could have caused his death, but a definite cause could not be established.
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