UNLIKELY TOMBS: BIZARRE PLACES BODIES HAVE BEEN FOUND

(From the Weird Darkness episode, “She Was Kidnapped By Bigfoot?”: https://weirddarkness.com/shewaskidnappedbybigfoot/)

Several instances have occurred where bodies have been discovered in unusual locations, often remaining undiscovered for extended periods—ranging from months to years. Bodies have been found in various places such as chimneys, elevator shafts, concealed behind a supermarket cooler, and even within haunted house attractions during Halloween.

In January 2009, authorities in Detroit recovered the deceased body of a man frozen within ice in the elevator shaft of a vacant former Detroit Public Schools book repository. Investigators estimated the body had been in that location for several months, although the man’s identity and cause of death remain unknown.

Ford Motor Co. acquired the Roosevelt Warehouse and the derelict Michigan Central Depot situated on Detroit’s west side. Positioned near 14th Street and Michigan Avenue, the depot succumbed to a fire in 1987, resulting in the loss of resources intended for numerous Detroit children. The property was later purchased by Matty Moroun, a prominent figure in trucking and real estate and the primary private property holder in Michigan.

Many homeless individuals resided within the warehouse, at a time when approximately 19,000 homeless individuals were estimated to be living on Detroit’s streets, translating to about 1 in 50 people.

The narrative commences with a phone call placed by an individual to a journalist, reporting the discovery of a deceased body in the elevator shaft. The caller’s acquaintance, an urban explorer navigating Detroit’s ruins, stumbled upon the body. In January 2019, while engaged in a game of hockey with fellow explorers on the frozen water that collected within the old Roosevelt building’s basement, the body in the elevator was sighted. Despite this discovery, none of the individuals contacted the authorities and proceeded with their hockey game. When the unknown caller described the situation, they mentioned, “He’s encased in ice, with only his legs protruding like Popsicle sticks.” The reason given for not contacting the police by the caller was that the individual did not want to face legal consequences due to trespassing.

Harley Dilly, a 14-year-old adolescent, vanished under enigmatic circumstances shortly after departing for school in Port Clinton, Ohio, on December 20, 2019.

According to Harley’s missing person flyer, he was born on August 12, 2005, and identified as a caucasian male with brown hair and green eyes. Furthermore, he stood 4 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 100 pounds. His parents, Heather and Marcus Dilly, resided with him. Additionally, his mobile phone had been damaged while at the residence prior to his departure.

In an update dated December 31, 2019, the Port Clinton authorities conveyed that Harley’s family had provided complete cooperation, indicating no suspicions of their involvement. Subsequently, they stated, “Our investigators are diligently examining the available records we have thus far acquired. The ongoing probe involves collaboration from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.”

Detective Ronald Timmons of the Port Clinton police revealed that a surveillance footage captured an individual believed to be Harley crossing the street in front of his residence at 6:08 am on December 20, marking his final known sighting.

Harley’s remains were ultimately discovered inside a chimney within an unoccupied residence situated across the street from his family’s home. Adjacent to his body were his glasses and red puffer jacket on the second floor. Perplexingly, the motive behind Harley’s entry into the chimney of a residence owned by another family remains unclear.

The chimney’s passage had been obstructed between the first and second floors, inadvertently confining Harley. The dimensions of the chimney measured approximately 9 inches by 13 inches, and the residence, belonging to a family currently undertaking remodeling projects, had served as a summer home.

For several weeks, there was a coordinated community endeavor to locate Dilly, which included establishing a reward fund from various community contributions. Nevertheless, during this period, there were also swirling rumors on the Internet, prompting Chief Robert Hickman to repeatedly urge people to refrain from sharing them.

Chief Robert Hickman informed the press, “The residence had been thoroughly checked on multiple occasions…There was no indication that anyone was inside the house.” This was due to the house being securely dead-bolted, locked, and equipped with a lockbox. Subsequently, on January 13, authorities opted to conduct another search of Harley’s neighborhood, ultimately leading them back to the unoccupied house, which they decided to re-enter.

Following the search of the house, Chief Robert Hickman relayed, “We were able to locate what we believe to be Harley, who was found trapped in the chimney. His family was notified early this morning, and this incident appears to be accidental. No evidence of foul play is currently suspected. It was determined that he had ascended an antenna tower onto the roof and entered the chimney.”

On January 11, 2013, the remains of a young male were discovered within a vertically rolled-up mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia.

The deceased individual was identified as 18-year-old Kendrick Johnson, a student at the high school.

A preliminary examination and postmortem evaluation concluded that the death was accidental. Law enforcement authorities described it as a tragic accident, stating that he asphyxiated inside an upright gym mat after inadvertently falling in headfirst while trying to retrieve a shoe. Johnson’s family hired a private pathologist to conduct a second autopsy, the results of which indicated that Johnson had died from blunt force trauma. On October 31, 2013, the US Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced the initiation of a formal review into Johnson’s death. Subsequently, on June 20, 2016, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its decision not to pursue any criminal charges in connection to Johnson’s death. In response, Kendrick’s family filed a civil lawsuit amounting to $100 million against 38 individuals.

This lawsuit alleged that Johnson’s death was a murder, implicating the respondents in a conspiracy to conceal the homicide, allegedly involving two sons of an FBI agent. However, the lawsuit was later retracted. Following this development, Georgia Judge Richard Porter ordered the Johnsons and their legal representative to pay over $292,000 in legal fees to the defendants. The judge accused the Johnsons and their attorney of manufacturing evidence to substantiate their assertions.

Another prominent case involves Elisa Lam and the Cecil Hotel. On February 19, 2013, a body was found in a water tank situated on the roof of the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. The body was identified as Elisa Lam (Lam Ho Yi), a Canadian student enrolled at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Lam had been reported missing at the beginning of February 2013. The body was discovered by maintenance staff at the hotel while investigating guest complaints regarding water supply issues, low water pressure, and an odd taste. Her body was unclothed, surrounded by her garments and personal belongings adrift in the water nearby.

This next entry involves an event that gained such widespread popularity that, for the third consecutive year, local law enforcement had to erect barriers to maintain a smooth flow of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Grahams initiated the advance sale of event tickets as a method of monitoring attendance.

“In 2014,” recounted Hank Graham, proprietor of the Wicked Waukegan Haunted House, “we became aware of a discrepancy when the count of tickets was one short upon tallying the receipts at day’s end. This transpired during one of the initial evenings of the attraction, early last month.”

The puzzle of the erroneous ticket count was unraveled when a 6-year-old guest confided in his parents that he had been greatly frightened by the “old, decaying odorous man” on the upper level. “I overheard the young boy’s remark,” shared Hank, “and I thought to myself, ‘Oh dear!’ If children are experiencing a fright, it adds to the overall thrill. Year after year, we introduce new decorations – including mummies, skeletons, and mannequins, along with classic crowd pleasers like peeled grapes masquerading as eyeballs in a bowl, strobe lights, and fog machines. Regrettably, the cause of the boy’s fright was not one of our props.”

On that very same night, 31-year-old Susan Johnston let out a scream when her children, whom she was escorting through the attraction, unintentionally bumped into what they believed was a prop dummy, only to realize it was an actual deceased person.”I cautioned them to exercise caution as we proceeded, however, my young Grace inadvertently made contact with him which caused him to stumble, resulting in his arm being forcibly torn from his body! Blood and various bodily fluids splattered onto Grace’s jacket and hair, while my son Ricky found himself covered in an unknown slimy substance. Both children were overwhelmed with fear. Upon our initial entry, a putrid odor permeated the air, but we dismissed it as part of the attraction. Subsequently, both my children regrettably vomited on the floor.”

Upon investigation by the authorities, it was revealed that a 71-year-old man had leaned against a building corner on the second floor and had tragically passed away. Officer Allison Garfield commented, “The cause of his demise is yet undetermined, whether it was a heart attack or an underlying ailment.” The chaotic aftermath of the discovery led to people fleeing the premises in distress, contrary to the expected reaction at such an establishment.

Reflecting on the isolated nature of the deceased individual, Lynn Graham lamented, “To imagine someone living in utter solitude, unnoticed for weeks on end, and embarking on a solo excursion for amusement… We failed to observe his presence – it’s truly distressing. With the abundance of props in that area, I assumed Hank had placed him there, while he assumed I had.”The local health department closed down the Halloween display, however, authorities chose not to press charges against the Graham family. Officer Garfield stated, “It was simply an unfortunate incident. They are truly kind individuals who generously open their home each year for others to enjoy themselves, and this incident has cast a shadow over the entire event.”

In a separate incident from 2017, a haunted house in Waterville, Maine, was shut down by law enforcement after it was revealed that the owners, Maureen and Carl Taylor, were incorporating real deceased individuals in their exhibits.

Despite having operated the haunted house for more than a decade, visitors that year expressed feelings of unease. Patron Mary Clarke recounted, “As I toured through, I noticed a strange odor, which I assumed was from the fog machines or something similar; those machines can emit quite unpleasant scents sometimes. But as I progressed further, the odor intensified, only to realize there were no fog machines. I casually passed by what I initially mistook for a prop cadaver, yet upon closer inspection, I observed maggots emerging from the eye sockets. I was on the verge of shrieking.”

The Taylors declared they were clueless as to how the deceased individuals ended up within their displays, given that they had been utilizing the same commercially acquired props for the past decade. Law enforcement confirmed no break-ins at the local morgue or disruptions during any ceremonies.

“It remains a true enigma, as these bodies seemingly materialized out of thin air,” commented Police Chief Christopher Davis. “It is an exceedingly disconcerting situation. Last I verified, deceased individuals do not autonomously rise up and depart on their own.” Police clarified that the Taylors were not considered suspects in any cadaver tampering incidents. However, they faced charges of criminal neglect for allowing individuals unaware of the situation to come into such close proximity to deceased bodies.

In 2009, Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada, a 25-year-old from Council Bluffs, Iowa, disappeared while employed at a local supermarket. A decade later, laborers discovered a severely decomposed body trapped between a 12-foot-high cooler and a wall, with just an 18-inch gap separating them. The unfortunate incident led to Larry’s demise, and the decomposing body had been present for weeks, emanating an odor noticeable to supermarket patrons. Was this a strange accident or something more peculiar at the No Frills Supermarket in Council Bluffs, Iowa?

Gareth Wyn Williams, a 32-year-old Welsh mathematician, cycling enthusiast, art aficionado, elite code-breaker, and intelligence officer with the U.K.’s secret services, garnered attention. On Monday, August 23, 2010, police discovered Gareth’s naked, decomposed remains in a red North Face bag secured with a padlock on the exterior, situated in the en-suite bathroom of the main bedroom on the top floor of his flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico, London. Subsequent peculiarities unfolded during the investigation, prompting numerous theories to be postulated regarding the circumstances surrounding Gareth’s demise.

Following a 2012 inquest into his death, the coroner concluded that Williams’s demise was “unnatural and likely to have resulted from criminal meddling,” expressing certainty “beyond reasonable doubt that Gareth was unlawfully killed.” However, a subsequent police re-investigation challenged these findings. The question remains: was Gareth’s demise truly suicide, a tragic misadventure, or something more nefarious involving counter-espionage by Russian operatives?

(“Unlikely Tombs: Bizarre Places Bodies Have Been Found” source: StrangeOutdoors.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/yv27xud9)