In this Thursday, June 24, 2009 photo, Titus Clarysse eats at a restaurant in Ghent, western Belgium Frederiek Vande Velde/AP A 35-year-old man who was known around the northern Belgian town of Ghent for dining and dashing was found dead in his apartment this week, the Associated Press reports.



Over the course of five years, Titus Clarysse reportedly dined at more than 100 restaurants in the area — ordering lavish meals and then leaving without paying the check.

Though it's still unclear whether Clarysse's infamous dining habits are connected to his death, Belgian officials are looking for suspects and calling his death a case of murder or manslaughter.



"Curse him? Maybe. But kill him? That makes no sense," Tim Joiris, head of the Ghent region restaurant and hotel federation, said to the AP. "We are not talking about an aggressive guy. He was just happy-go-lucky about it."

Clarysse depended on government aid and often ate extravagant meals that went far beyond his weekly 40 euro welfare check. After he finished his meal, he would just explain to restaurant staff that he had no money to pay the bill, according to Grub Street.

Though some would let him walk out with no penalty, others would call the police. Clarysse spent several nights in jail, which, according to Dutch newspapers, didn't bother him too much since he had eaten a good meal beforehand.