Marie was known in her upmarket suburb of Newtown, Geelong as a 'clean freak' who cared about the appearance of her dilapidated home. Now the neighbors are opening up about the creepy reality inside

Residents living in multimillion-dollar properties in an opulent Victorian suburb were unaware they were living next door to a gruesome house.

That is, until mentally ill resident 'Marie' was led away in handcuffs by police, revealing a horrific ordeal.

In her dilapidated home in Newtown, Geelong, Marie had lived for years not only among piles of rotting rubbish, but also among the body of her deceased brother.

From the outside the house looked well maintained, with Marie being known to her neighbors as something of a 'clean freak'.

“We saw her outside cutting the lawn with scissors,” a neighbor across the road told Daily Mail Australia.

Neighbors claimed they were unaware of the tragic conditions in which Marie and her brother lived for what some said could have been as long as five years.

Located across the road from the home ground of Geelong Football Club, the suburb is considered one of the city's most affluent.

Marie had lived in housing commission apartments, nestled in chic surroundings, for more than a decade.

Both Marie and her brother were described by her neighbors as friendly, but distinctly strange characters in the otherwise affluent neighborhood.

'She was a bit strange. We all knew her. She wasn't dangerous or anything,” said a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous.

“She was cleaning, doing things, picking up leaves. She was always so nice and clean. She was quiet, reserved, withdrawn. No one knew what was happening inside.”

Marie's brother, who had not been seen by her neighbors for years, was remembered for his inquisitive nature.

'He clearly also had mental problems. We saw him jump out and he loved looking into cars. He peered into cars, but he never did anything wrong.”

Neighbors said they didn't think much of it when they stopped seeing him in the neighborhood.

“Things are changing, people are leaving… it's just horrible,” the neighbor said.

Forensic biohazard specialists recovered the remains of Marie's brother on December 29, 2022, after she was arrested for allegedly violating an intervention order.

Today, the house still stands empty, with planks covering the property's broken rear windows.

Nicole Stratton, who has lived directly behind the “house of horrors” for the past six years, said she was ashamed of what happened to her neighbor.

“She definitely had mental health issues, but I was definitely surprised by the dead body in there,” she said Monday.

'As messy as the house was on the inside, it was neatly maintained on the outside.'

Ms Stratton said she had complained to Victoria's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing about her neighbor but they had failed to uncover the body.

“They came to see (me) and they asked about her and I complained about the smell. It was disgusting and the carport was always full of (trash),” she said.

'I always thought the smell was just garbage because she was always collecting garbage everywhere. I thought it was the old junk left under the carport.

'The blinds were always down and there was just mold on them. She never opened the house.”

The remains of rubbish and litter can still be seen at the back of the flat, where an empty beer bottle rests in the gutter of the house.

'Apparently it was horrible inside. I just find it all terribly sad. It's shocking,” said another neighbor.

Marie, believed to be in her 70s, was released without charge last year in connection with her brother's death, while the coroner continues to investigate the exact circumstances of his death. Herald Sun reported.

The recent attention has opened old wounds for those who knew the elderly couple across the street.

“It happened a year ago… She was mentally ill and they just slipped through the cracks. If anyone talked to her, she would have portrayed that everything was fine. It's sad,” said a neighbor.