MADRID (AP) — Spanish daily El Mundo reports that the mummified remains of a woman who forensic doctors believe died some 15 years ago was found this week at her apartment in Madrid.

The newspaper reported on Friday that the woman, who was 78 at the time of her approximate death in late 2004, had been living by herself after her husband died.

Neighbors told El Mundo they had noticed a strong odor coming from the apartment at the time. But because the smell went away a few weeks later, they assumed the retiree had left trash behind before going on a trip.

A distant relative of the woman alerted police, the paper reported, and on Tuesday officers and firefighters found her skeleton and preserved skin in the bath of her apartment.