Friend found body on floor, neighbour says

The body of man who police say died in unexplained circumstances was discovered by his friend, according to a neighbour.

A police spokeswoman said a person, understood to be Richard Wallis, was found dead at a property on Strathmore Ave, in the Wellington suburb of Strathmore, about 11.45am on Thursday.

Police say the death was being treated as unexplained, and an autopsy was being carried out yesterday.

Wallis’ neighbour, who declined to be named, said she had called an ambulance after his friend knocked on her door, upset, saying: ‘‘Richard’s dead – he’s dead on the floor.’’

She said Wallis’ friend had arrived at the property with a key and let himself in.

He then knocked on her door and the door of another neighbour, as he didn’t have a cellphone to call an ambulance.

‘‘He was saying, ‘He’s dead; he’s on the floor,’ ’’ she said.

‘‘I had to take the day off work because I was so shaky,’’ she said.

The woman said she hadn’t had many interactions with the man, other than when he knocked on her door and asked for cigarettes.

‘‘It’s totally unusual. There are a lot of kids around here; it’s a nice, quiet street,’’ she said.

Lisa Jones, who often visits a friend living near Wallis, said she would often see him around town and believed he had moved into the street in the past few months.

‘‘It’s really freaky. I still don’t know what has happened,’’ she said.