Headless corpse found in fish tank at home of man missing for two months

'It’s horrifying,' neighbour says. 'A dead body was in the house this entire time'

A human body with no head or hands was found in a fish tank at the home of a man who had been missing for two months, police said.

The corpse was found when officers raided Brian Egg’s San Francisco house, weeks after neighbours first raised the alarm about his disappearance.

Residents of his street told local media they last saw the 65-year-old on his daily walk with his dog Lucky in early June.

Police first visited Mr Egg’s house in July after neighbours grew concerned. They spoke to a man who claimed to live there and said Mr Egg was on holiday, a story that officers appeared to accept.

But earlier this month, his neighbour, Scott Free, called police again after seeing a private crime-scene clean-up crew turn up at Mr Egg’s house.

This time police searched the house and found the corpse in the fish tank, sources with knowledge of the investigation told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“It’s horrifying,” Mr Free told the newspaper. “A dead body was in the house this entire time.”

Police have yet to identify whether the body is Mr Egg as the remains are so badly decomposed that even the sex is unclear. The city's Medical Examiner is working to establish a cause of death.

The fish tank contained chemicals when the corpse was found, NBC Bay Area reported.

Lance Silva, 39, has been arrested in connection with the case on suspicion of fraud, theft from an elder, grand theft and motor vehicle theft.

Mr Free said “drifters” would often stay at Mr Egg’s home, in the South of Market neighbourhood and two unidentified men had been living there around the time he went missing.

The men began “frantically cleaning” around the property after police checked on his welfare in July, he added.

San Francisco Police Department said its investigation into Mr Egg’s disappearance remained “open and active”.

No murder charges have been filed.