The State - News from July 21, 1988

The decomposing body of a 62-year-old man was discovered sitting in front of the television in his stuffy, garbage-filled house in Union City about a week after he died, police said. No one knows why the man’s wife remained with the body and did not notify anyone, officers said. Police said the body of Robert Klawien was found only after a mail carrier noticed a foul odor. Klawien’s wife, Tomiko, 59, who was inside the house, was taken by police for psychiatric evaluation at a local hospital. “He was covered with a blanket, probably watching TV,” Shelton said. “She stayed with him at least a week,” apparently keeping a vigil while sleeping on the couch. An autopsy showed that Klawien, a security guard, died of natural causes related to heart disease. Neighbors in the Bay Area town described Robert Klawien as a recluse.