Karachi: Pakistani actress-model Humaira Asghar Ali, whose body was discovered earlier this week in an apartment in Karachi’s upmarket Defence Housing Society, died eight to 10 months ago, according to initial post-mortem findings.
Humaira, 32, lived alone and had acted in several television serials and also in two films.
A police team found her decomposed body last week while executing a court order to vacate the flat.
The body was severely decomposed and unrecognisable at the time of recovery, Geo News reported on Friday, citing the post-mortem report.
According to the findings of the report, the body was in an “advanced stage of decomposition”. The facial muscles were completely deteriorated and fingers and nails were “reduced to bone”.
It said parts of the body were “entirely devoid of muscle” tissue and the bones began to “disintegrate upon touch”.
The brain matter was completely decomposed via autolysis and internal organs turned into a “black-coloured mass”. The cartilage in joints was absent, however, no fractures were detected in bones, it said.
The head and spine remained intact, but no spinal cord. It said brown-coloured insects were present, especially in the hair, but no maggots were found.
The report stated that the extent of the decomposition has made it impossible to determine the exact cause of death at this stage.
However, DNA profiling and toxicology tests are underway and are expected to provide further insight, Geo News said.
Contrary to reports, her family on Thursday received the remains and transported them to Lahore by ambulance.
Earlier, DIG South Zone Asad Reza said Humaira’s family members have “flatly refused to own her or take the body for burial,” claiming they had severed all ties with her over the past two years.
He said the case presents unusual challenges because of the fact that the body remained undiscovered for such a long period and neither of the neighbours checked on her or suspected anything.
This is the second case in recent weeks where an actress has been found dead in her residence.
Last month, actress Ayesha Khan was discovered dead in a similar situation in her Karachi apartment in Gulshan-e-Iqbal where she lived alone. She was 84.
Observers say these cases highlight the struggles and problems, including loneliness and estrangement, women face in Pakistan if they pursue a career in the entertainment industry.–(PTI)
