It came as a shock to Gordi Giro, the man making his first visit to a home he bought in an auction in Spain, to discover the former owner's mummified body sitting on the living room couch.

Giro was horrified to find the body of Maria Luisa Zamora, who died of "natural" causes in 2001. It was also the year when she stopped making payments on the residence in the coastal town of Roses in Spain's northeast Catalonia region.

According to AP reports, Zamora's body mummified instead of rotting because of the salty seaside air in Roses and also because of the lack of oxygen in the room. Zamora, who is estimated to be in her 50s, separated from her husband and children in Madrid, and no one had reported her missing.

The new owner acquired the home last week but decided to visit it on Saturday because of reports that a fire in the same building had forced the evacuation of some residents. He wanted to check for damage.