Family urge police to investigate Sheffield man's death after money was stolen days after his body was found

The ‘heartbroken’ family of a beloved Sheffield man found dead at a city hostel, are urging police to investigate after money was withdrawn from his bank account following his death.
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The body of 40-year-old Nathan Fauvel was found at his bedroom at St Anne’s - Bevin Court hostel at Beighton Road, Woodhouse on Friday, April 22.

Nathan’s family say he was last seen entering his bedroom at around 2.30pm on Thursday, April 21; and after reviewing the CCTV at the hostel, which is present in corridors but not individual rooms, they have discovered that two people separately entered his room later that day.

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He was never seen alive again, and Nathan’s family have been unable to find his wallet, keys or bank card, leading them to believe they have been stolen.

The body of 40-year-old Nathan Fauvel was found at his bedroom at St Anne’s - Bevin Court hostel at Beighton Road, Woodhouse on Friday, April 22.The body of 40-year-old Nathan Fauvel was found at his bedroom at St Anne’s - Bevin Court hostel at Beighton Road, Woodhouse on Friday, April 22.
The body of 40-year-old Nathan Fauvel was found at his bedroom at St Anne’s - Bevin Court hostel at Beighton Road, Woodhouse on Friday, April 22.

The family have also spoken to the fraud team at Nathan’s bank. They say they have been told that Nathan’s bank account has been accessed several times from a cash point at the Premier Convenience Store on Harborough Avenue, Manor, since he passed away, and £400 was withdrawn five days after his death on April 27. A further, withdrawal of £5 from Nathan’s account was made on April 28.

Another attempt to access Nathan’s bank account was made earlier this month on May 8, but his account had been closed by then.

Nathan’s stepdad, Owen Wright, said: “We feel like he could have been robbed on his deathbed, or even when he was already dead, and it’s very upsetting for us. It’s heartbreaking.”

Owen described Nathan as a ‘technophobe’ and said he finds it strange that his internet banking was set up just five days before his death on April 17.

As the family wait for Nathan’s cause, and time, of death to be confirmed, they are calling on South Yorkshire Police to investigate.

South Yorkshire Police said: "The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file has been prepared for the coroner.

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"Enquiries are under way into reports that the deceased may have been a victim of theft in the days leading up to his death are currently ongoing."

They added: "Police were called by Yorkshire Ambulance Service at around 6.39pm on Friday 22 April following reports of a sudden death on Beighton Road in the Woodhouse area of Sheffield.

"On arrival officers discovered the body of a 40-year-old man in a property.”

Nathan, who grew up in Walkley, had a number of vulnerabilities, including health conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and his family believe hostel staff should have checked on him in his room several times a day.

They say the hostel CCTV appears to show that he was not checked on for over a day, from when he is known to have entered his room on the afternoon of April 21 to when his body was found on the evening of April 22, and are concerned he did not received the care he was entitled to.

A spokesperson from St Anne’s Community Services (SACS) said: “SACS were deeply saddened at the recent passing of a client and are fully supporting police enquiries.”

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Joe Horobin, Director of Integrated Commissioning at Sheffield City Council, said: We are saddened to hear about Nathan’s death and our thoughts are with his family.

“We are in discussions with Nathan’s family, offering our support and helping where we can. The health and safety of people who we place in our commissioned services is paramount and we will learn from anything that comes out of investigations on this case.”

Owen paid tribute to Nathan on behalf of the family, describing him as a ‘loving son, uncle and brother’.

He added: “Nathan was a very jovial individual, and anyone who met him, liked him...he had a great personality, a very infectious personality, he was a real people person.”

"His family loved him very much. Everyone’s heartbroken.”

Nathan used to work with Owen on his women’s accessories stall at the Moor Market, and Owen described how his step-son really flourished in the role, proving what a good salesman he was.

Nathan’s funeral is due to be held at Grenoside Crematorium at 2pm on Friday, May 27.

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