Initial post-mortem findings of the autopsy conducted on the remains of Humaira Asghar Ali in Karachi’s upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase VI, have revealed that the actress died eight to 10 months ago.

 

Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed prepared the autopsy report, stating in it that the body was severely decomposed and unrecognisable at the time of recovery.

 

Medico-legal findings revealed that the body was in an “advanced stage of decomposition”, facial muscles were completely deteriorated, and fingers and nails were “reduced to bone”.

 

Other details that have been noted in the findings include that her bones began to “disintegrate upon touch”, while brain matter was completely decomposed via autolysis. Internal organs had turned into a “black-coloured mass” and while her bones were not fractured, the cartilage in the joints was not present. 

 

Humaira's head and spine remained intact, but no spinal cord was detected. Brown-coloured insects were present, especially in the hair, but no maggots were found.

 

Additionally, the report stated that due to the extent of the decomposition, it is impossible to determine the exact cause of death. 

 

However, Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) profiling and toxicology tests are underway and are expected to provide further insight. Hair strands, clothes and blood samples had been sent for chemical analysis. 

 

Humaira's remains were found when law enforcement personnel visited her apartment around 3:15pm on Tuesday to enforce a court-ordered eviction. No response from inside prompted the police to force open the door, discovering her body lying on the floor. 

 

She had reportedly been living alone in the flat for the past seven years.

 

After the body was discovered, speculations erupted on social media that the deceased's family refused to claim Humaira’s body. 

 

Speaking to journalists last night, her brother Naveed said that his parents were “distressed” due to the recent death of another close relative.

 

He stated that for the last three days, the family was in contact with Chhipa and the police, including Station House Officer (SHO) Farooq Ahmed Sanjrani of the Gizri Police, adding, “according to the guidelines, we were [eventually] going to receive the body and perform the rites.”

 

Moreover, Naveed said that Humaira was an “independent person” who wouldn’t visit the family for extended periods.

 

“She moved to Karachi and had been living here for the last seven years … she would visit home after several months or even a year at times … She didn’t contact us for a year, although our mother had reached out to her asking about her whereabouts.”

 

“Her mobile phone had been switched off for the last six months, so our mother could not contact Humaira. We could not trace her number either,” he concluded.