The body of a man who died in suspicious circumstances in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs “had been there for some time” and mystery surrounds the circumstances of his death.

Paramedics found a “complicated” crime scene after being called to a low-set brick house on Cochrane Street in Mitcham about 3.30am.

The call to triple-0 was made by a 46-year-old woman who lived with the man and is believed to have been in a relationship with him.

She is now assisting police with their inquiries.

Detective Senior Sergeant David Yeoman said it would take time to determine how the man died.

“The scene is complicated,” he said.

“It’s going to take a reasonable amount of forensic examination to clarify the particular circumstances.

Russell Healy talking to reporters about the death of a man in a neighbouring house.

“That’s why we’ve asked the homicide squad to come in.”

When pushed for details on why the scene was complicated, if a large amount of blood was in the house or if drugs were found inside, Detective Senior Sergeant Yeoman would not be drawn.

“I think I’ll just leave it at that at the moment,” he said.

“The house is known to police, I don’t want to go into more detail than that.”

A man in his 30s was shot at the same house in May last year, but police said the two incidents were not related.

A boarded up window of a house in Mitcham, in Melbourne’s east, where a body was found.

Neighbour Russell Healy said the death was “another shock”.

“You see the schoolkids walking down here, very close to Rangeview [Primary School],” he said.

“It’s one of those things where you don’t really know what’s going on behind people’s doors.”

-ABC