How long until someone found you?

I had not heard about this, but it sounds very, very sad. I have a roommate and a lot of people around me, so I don't worry about it much. I lived by myself in 1997, I was far from my family and going through a severe depression, so I did not socialize much. I lived there for a year and I guess I could have went for maybe a month without being discovered, but at some point the landlord would come for her rent and wonder why I hadn't paid it. It's sad to live in a world where no one really cares for you enough to check on you from time to time.