The 82-year-old Phyllis Kelly went missing more than 18 months ago in Melbourne.

Detectives had entered the house several times since then but did not have legal permission to search the premies until now. 

Officers and a pathologist discovered a severely decayed body under garbage piled metres high reports News.com.au. The remains are yet to be identified.

Also in her home were bags stuffed with garbage, material and clothes stacked to the ceiling

About one million Australians face problems associated with hoarding and squalor.

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