A Regina woman discovers neighbour dead due to ‘rancid smell’

After observing a stench in the hallways of an apartment building, a Regina tenant who was accompanied by Regina Police Service (RPS) discovered her neighbor dead in his apartment.

Abby Leniuk, who lives in an apartment building in the Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood, noticed “a rancid smell” in her hallway.

“Couple days go by, we haven’t heard from this guy,” said Leniuk. “I haven’t seen him leave his apartment building. His dog (was) in there whining.”

After several calls to her landlord, Leniuk said there was still no one checking up on her neighbour. She decided to take matters into her own hands by calling police to do a wellness check.

RPS officers showed up to escort Leniuk to the apartment suite, where they made the discovery of her neighbour’s body.

“There was no emotion at first… there was too many things that hit me at once. It was just like a black space entered my head,” she said.

“I think it was really hard to realize afterward what would have happened if I hadn’t called. And, you know, the typical response from the ‘I’ll look into it’ landlord. That was really difficult.”

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Since the discovery, Leniuk said the experience has affected her greatly. She said she has not been eating and sleeping properly and has been missing work. But what bothers her most is the lack of concern her landlord showed when she made several complaints regarding the stench.

Read more: Open death investigation for man found dead at Regina residence

“Respond to your tenants. We have legitimate concerns … when it’s us making the discoveries,” she said. “That shouldn’t have been me … I shouldn’t have to be dealing with this.”

Global News reached out to the landlord for comment, but they declined. According to the residential tenancies act, the landlord is to enter a suite if an emergency exists. In this case, Leniuk feels it was a call for concern due to the rancid smell.

The RPS confirmed in an email statement that officers attended to the apartment address on Robinson Street for the report of a deceased adult man on December 2, 2022, at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Details on the death of the man were not determined as police said it was not considered a criminal investigation. Leniuk said her neighbor’s dog is being cared for by his family.