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An Unwanted Discovery Ends With An FBI Investigation…
A home renovation is supposed to be a big project, and when it involves an older home folks are bound to find little surprises here and there inside the structure of the home, usually architectural. One couple renovating a home built in the 1940s in Cleveland, however, found more than they bargained for. In fact, what started off as an amazing find soon turned into far more than they bargained for, and it ultimately involved the FBI in a full-blown investigation based on what was found in total.
Starting the Demolition
The basement was the first part of the project. The removal of drywall opened up the framework and the typical odd markers and scribblings of construction crews long gone and past their time appeared once again to open light. Like similar projects, the homeowners documented everything as the work continued which ended up being a smart move in hindsight.
Ceiling Surprise
As the drywall was pulled of the ceiling and the support rafters were exposed, the owners started to realize there was more up in the basement ceiling then just wood, cobwebs and dust. In fact, between what had been the ceiling drywall layer and the subfloor for the ground level above, there was in fact a suitcase that had been intentionally hidden in the cavity. The work stopped and the curiosity began. What the heck was suitcase doing in the basement ceiling?
Opening Things Up
The homeowner had completely forgotten about the renovation work. Now everything was about what in the world was inside this suitcase that it needed to be hidden. While waiting for his wife to get home, the husband took the suitcase outside in the open air and light where he could see everything better. The case had substance to it, like the contents were heavy.
A Small Suitcase
The homeowner’s wife came home and the excitement just kept increasing. Playing a game to keep things going, the couple started guessing at what was inside. The husband thought it might be a really valuable collection, like baseball or football cards. The wife wondered if it was a jewelry stash. In terms of value, she was probably closer. So, they got to a point where the guessing was enough and they moved to open the case.
Wrapped Stacks
As they opened the suitcase the couple realized there were brown wax paper packages in the case. However, the packages were more than just trash. They were packaged and prepared carefully, as if someone wanted to make sure the package content was not going to get exposed to moisture, or bugs or similar. Things were starting to get weird and the joking about guessing the suitcase contents were long gone.
Unwrapping
The first package was unwrapped and inside exposed money and a lot of it. Each one was stacks of $20 bills. And they weren’t new ones either. The money was extremely old but modern enough that it was still usable. Now the couple were starting to shake. Exactly how much was in this suitcase and what would it total up to? Was it there’s to keep was there more to this story? After all, they bought the house free and clear, including everything inside it.
The Money Kept Counting Up
Now the bundles were changing. The first bundle was $20 bills. The second bundle was $50 and $100 bills. They were now looking at not just hundreds of dollars but thousands dollars in front of them. The couple was now opening the third package which was entirely $100 bills. They were starting to have the proverbial freakout. The details of the suitcases started to matter a whole lot. The couple started looking at not just the money but what came with it. Some of the dollar bills were clearly from the 1920s and early 1930, some of the harshest survival times of the U.S. Depression.
Looking at a Time Capsule
The suitcase was vintage, no question, but what exactly where they dealing with? Clues started to become apparent. The newspaper included in the suitcase gave context and time period. Dated on each page, the newspaper was from March 25, 1951. If everything held the same, the suitcase, its money and anything else associated with it was probably from the same time period, at least 65 years ago.
A Pretty Good Find It Seemed
The couple were looking at a bit of a buried treasure. The dollar bills involved were rare and collector items. And that meant some were worth a heck of a lot more than just their face value. More than a few were mint bills, never used, barely circulated. Almost all of them easily scored well over seven decades. After a few phone calls and some help from a local attorney, the total in the suitcase was nice windfall, $23,000 in total either in face value or collectability. It was a huge, wonderful surprise. They decided pretty quick what they were going to do with the prize – the money would go to pay off their mortgage, letting them own their home free and clear. It seemed like a nice ending, but it wasn’t.
Eventually Back to Work
With the fuss over and the dust settling, it was time to get back to work. The work in the basement was still waiting to be completed. However, the first suitcase the couple found was not the end of the story. There would be more findings in the darn fake basement ceiling. And that guessing game and surprises would continue to keep adding onto each other more and more. What in the world had been going on in this 1940s house before the couple bought the place and moved in.
Suitcase Number 2
The second suitcase was located deeper in the ceiling as the renovation continued and it became apparent and available. Again, the homeowner waited for his wife to get home before opening it up. More photographs documented the whole thing and the suitcases seemed like same make and setup, so the couple naturally assumed more money. It was only logical.
Opening Things Up Again
Sure enough, the second case had a similar windfall. More money in stacks and stacks of bills. This time, however, the money was not carefully wrapped in wax paper bundles. Instead, it was packed tightly bound stacks of bills like it had come straight from a bank. The homeowners started to get a chill on the back of their necks. The straps on the bills packs were official and delineated how much in each stack.
The Money Size Was Out of Control
This time the money counted up to almost more than twice the first suitcase, $45,000 total. Again, the couple was counting their lucky stars. How far was this going to go? Not only did they have the means to pay off the mortgage now with the first bundle, now they had twice as much and the ability to do a whole lot more in a very comfortable retirement. They chose to invest the windfall in their home with even more renovations, but the story was far from over.
A Door That Shouldn’t Be Opened
With two suitcases discovered the couple had a pretty good idea now that their old home had more secrets to show. So now they started looking for them. Sure enough, they found a door, purposefully hidden behind construction and walled off. It never would have been known had it not been for the renovation and tearing off the covers from the walls. The door itself was not anything unique. It seemed to just be a utility closet. Nonetheless, it was a doorway.
Another Opening
Opening the small doorway, the couple peered inside. It was not a utility room. Instead, there was an entire additional room nobody had known was part of the house. Various pieces of carpet had been placed on the floor inside, but it wasn’t professionally installed. It was clearly a hidden room with a purpose, but what that was made no sense whatsoever, at least not immediately.
A Room Behind a Room
The husband entered in first to see what was inside. The area was barely functional and most of the house frame was visible. However, the room turned out to be just a foyer. There was another room deeper inside the home basement, but this one was blocked by a door with a serious set of locks on it. Not only was the outer room hidden, this inner sanctum was clearly intended to be blocked, sealed off and not entered by anyone but the original owner.
Curiosity Killed the Cat?
The husband now wanted to get to the bottom of what the hell was going on, and it was behind this secured second door. The lock was solid, but it only assumed a person was using the door normally. Instead, he took a hammer and started taking the door frame apart. Eventually, the husband was able to disassemble the entire door and get it out of the way. The second room was now open for access.
Going Too Far Down the Rabbit Hole
Immediately the husband knew he had discovered something he wished he hadn’t. The very construction of the inner second room signaled bad karma. The walls were obviously sound-proofed. The surface was tarped as if to make it easy for cleaning. A lot of attention had gone into making this second room functional for a purpose, and it didn’t look like anything good when combined with the money found earlier, being hidden, and from the 1930s. Criminality was becoming obvious.
Find Number 1
An old leather briefcase was inside the second room. Inside it the couple wondered if there was yet more money and more old bills adding to their first two finds. However, three is a charm. Instead, this suitcase was filled with an entirely different set of belongings that had nothing to do with cash.
Watches, Rings & Envelopes
Again, the saving grace for the couple was their diligent documentation of everything they found with photographs. The rooms, the secured door and now the briefcase were all snapped and photographed to explain it all later on when the couple had time to breathe. Opening the suitcase, they found a smorgasbord of vintage jewelry, including men’s watches, rings, silver bars, and envelopes. However, these had cash from other countries versus American dollars.
What’s in the Safe
The room had more to give up. Deeper inside was a small safe. It was a typical, personal type unit sitting in the corner. The husband wasn’t thrilled about the direction that things were going in. This entire experience was getting more and more creepy by the minute.
A Clear Message
The safe also didn’t pose much resistance once the husband got to work. However, the contents inside gave the first signals something was very wrong. First, there was a badly scribbled note with the words “save yourself.” Then, inside the lid of the safe was more writing. In white painted letters the words “Do not” were left. What the hell did that mean? The husband was now seriously freaking out.
Weird Tapes
The safe did not follow the pattern of everything else the couple had found up to this point. Instead, the contents inside the safe were video tapes stored in clear plastic cases. These weren’t cassettes. They were old style VCR tapes that people used for watching movies or videotaping home movies.
Needing Serious Help
There were six video tapes total inside the safe. Five of them were labeled but the sixth was just blank. The labeling made no easy sense to figure out. One said 194 the other said roman number V, and another had 11195 on it and so on. The blank one however was different. It had “No” written with a black marker all over it. The tapes, however, were clearly from the 1980s or later than anything else they had found in the home. The fact that they were in the deepest part of the home was even more mysterious.
Taking a Peek
The couple got out of the basement and brought everything upstairs. For a few days they did nothing, but eventually the husband had to know more. He figured something was on the videotapes that would answer his nagging questions. He still had a VCR himself, so he hooked everything up to a TV and put the first tape in from the six they found in the basement. What he saw was beyond the norm of horrible.
Bring in the Big Guns
As soon as he saw the first scenes the husband wished the whole thing hadn’t happened. He and his wife got on the horn and contacted the FBI. The Feds arrived quickly, took over control of the property and seized everything associated with the tapes. A full investigation was triggered. The local media got wind of the story and started guessing all sorts of stories and potential crimes had occurred in the home, hidden from public eye. However, the details of the case were never disclosed, much less what had been on the tapes. And the homeowners are not talking either, likely instructed by the FBI to stay quiet about the matter.
A homeless man in Houston became an unexpected hero when he helped a lost 1st grader, who has special needs, find her way home. Six-year-old Serenity’s day took a scary turn when she disappeared during dismissal time from Lantrip Elementary School, located in Houston.
Serenity’s mother, Mercedes Polk, arrived at the school as usual to pick up her daughter, only to find no trace of her. School staff assured Polk that Serenity was somewhere on the premises, but as minutes turned into an hour, it became apparent that something was wrong. Determined to find her daughter, Polk began her search.
The assistant principal eventually guided Polk to a gas station a mile away from the school, where they found Serenity in a state of distress. The young girl, with tears in her eyes, recounted her attempt to find her family’s home, which is a 30-minute drive away. The situation left both mother and daughter shaken and terrified.
“Someone needs to be held accountable,” Polk expressed, reflecting the concern and fear any parent would feel in such a situation. The Houston Independent School District (HISD) acknowledged the incident and stated, “HISD is actively investigating the incident at Lantrip Elementary. Student safety is our top priority.”
However, amidst the distressing situation, a ray of hope emerged. Serenity pointed out a nearby homeless man, stating that he had come to her aid. Polk, acknowledging the homeless man’s role, said, “He did save her life. Something definitely would have happened to my baby. She could have got hit by a car, kidnapped, anything.”
This story sheds light on the importance of kindness and compassion, even in the most unexpected places. The homeless man’s selfless act underscores the idea that heroes can come from any background. The incident not only highlights the need for improved safety measures but also emphasizes the positive impact individuals can have when they extend a helping hand.
As the community reflects on this incident, it serves as a reminder that a simple act of kindness can make a significant difference in someone’s life. Serenity’s unexpected guardian angel reminds us all that compassion knows no boundaries, and that even in challenging circumstances, humanity and empathy prevail.
In a heartwarming turn of events, a baby donkey named Moon has been reunited with her mother after a frightening two-week-long ordeal. Moon, who is only two months old, was taken from Miller’s Ark Animals in Hampshire, UK, causing distress to both the farm and Moon’s anxious mother. However, thanks to the combined efforts of the community and social media, Moon was located and safely returned to her loving home.
In the month of May, a devastating incident occurred at Miller’s Ark Animals when Moon, a precious baby donkey, was stolen from her home. The farm, which prides itself on its dedication to animal welfare and care, was shocked by the incident. Moon’s mother, Astra, was deeply distressed during the time Moon was away, as the two shared a strong bond, especially through nursing.
As soon as the news broke about Moon’s kidnapping, the team at Miller’s Ark Animals launched an extensive search effort to bring her back safely. They turned to social media, spreading the word about Moon’s disappearance and sharing her story. The posts quickly went viral, gaining thousands of shares and generating numerous tips and sightings from concerned individuals.
After two weeks of tireless searching and monitoring CCTV footage, the Miller’s Ark team received a breakthrough. Moon was discovered at an address in Buckinghamshire, a county located not too far from Hampshire. The farm was overjoyed and relieved by this positive outcome. The team quickly made arrangements to bring Moon back home to her loving family.
Upon Moon’s arrival back at Miller’s Ark, the atmosphere was filled with happiness and excitement. Moon, seemingly aware of the love and care surrounding her, displayed her joy by swishing her tail and eagerly seeking cuddles. The entire team was delighted to witness Moon’s contentment and well-being.
While Moon was away, her mother Astra faced challenges of her own. Without Moon’s nursing, Astra’s milk had dried up, causing further distress for the worried mother. However, the dedicated team at Miller’s Ark Animals immediately stepped in to help Moon and Astra reestablish their bond. Through careful guidance and support, they are assisting Moon’s transition from nursing to solid foods, ensuring her healthy growth and development.
Dogs get themselves into the darnedest messes sometimes. Practically driven by their noses, dogs will follow things or smells into places they have no clue how to get out of. The normal reaction is to back up, but what happens if they go so far in, they can’t back up? That was the case for one canine who literally plugged up a drainage pipe.
Imagine being woken up by the racket of a backhoe grumbling its way into the Earth on the street next to you. That was the case for one neighborhood that found themselves looking out the window at a noisy racket first thing in the morning as the sun was coming up. Flashing fire engine lights also added to the mix, lighting the place up like a Christmas tree.
Bella Vista residents found themselves sitting in a front row seat watching a spectacle caused by a dog that went and wedged itself into a culvert pipe on one mild-mannered Bracknell Lane. More than likely, the dog was after something and was in such a hurry, it went head-first into the pipe without thinking about whether it could get through much less fit. So, once inside, the dumb dog got stuck and started whimpering and panicking up a storm. The dog’s owner was out early before the sun was up looking for his pet, heard the dog stuck, and called 911 for help. Firefighters arrived by 5am, and that’s when the circus started.
There was a bit of confusion at first when the fire engine arrived, as no one actually had a visual on the dog. As it turned out, the big puppy was deep inside the middle of the drainage pipe and wasn’t getting out anytime soon on his own power. That then meant the fire department had to enlist the aid of the town’s street department with earth-moving equipment.
Most times, dogs in a panicked state freak out badly and bite anyone near them trying to help or make contact. Instead, with a snack offered close by, the stuck dog was extremely cooperative and didn’t make a fuss as the firefighters worked to free it. On inspection, the pipe looked big enough for the young dog to make it through. However, deep in the middle, the weight of the ground had bent the channel tighter, and that’s where the canine got stuck.
Once rescued, the dog was back to normal, healthy and acting like nothing happened. Of course, the dog owner might have had a lecture or two about controlling his pet in the future as well as the cost of the rescue.
Many people join long lines on a daily basis purchasing lottery tickets with the hope of being the lucky winner of some serious cash.
Others work tirelessly, but to no avail. However, for an Indonesian man, all he needed was a miracle from the sky, and he certainly received, albeit in a scary way.
A meteorite came crashing through his roof recently and in the blink of an eye, has transformed him into a millionaire.
The North Sumatraman who makes coffins for a living, has since sold the precious rock from the sky for Dh6,611,760.
When a meteorite that was recently sold for $1.8 million (Dh6,611,760) crashed through his roof, a humble coffin maker in Indonesia became an instant millionaire.
A meteorite worth about £1.4 million crashed through the roof of an Indonesian coffin maker’s house, making him a millionaire.
When the 2.1kg rock smashed through the tin veranda outside Josua Hutagalung’s living room, he was building on a coffin outside his house in the town of Kolang.
After getting over the shock of the noise, the 33-year-old dug into his garden soil and discovered the piece of space debris.
“The noise was so loud that it shook parts of the house. And after looking, I discovered that the house’s tin roof had collapsed,” he told Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper. “The stone was already warm when I raised it.”
Carbonaceous chondrite is an exceptionally rare form of meteorite that is believed to be 4.5 billion years old and worth about £645 per gram.
Mr Hutagalung told The Sun that he sold the meteor to US meteorite specialist Jared Collins, who then sold it to a US buyer, who is currently storing it at Arizona State University’s Centre for Meteorite Studies.
Even though the coffin maker has not specifically stated the exact purchase price, it is believed to be in the region of £1 million. Mr Hutagalung stated that he had saved enough money to retire and that he intends to establish a place of worship in his neighborhood.
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“I’ve really yearned to have a daughter, and I’m hoping this is a sign that I’ll be fortunate enough to have one now,” he said.
“My phone lit up with insane offers for me to jump on a flight and purchase the meteorite,” Mr Collins said. It was smack in the midst of the Covid crisis, and I couldn’t decide whether to buy the rock for myself or collaborate with scientists and dealers in the United States.
“I took as much cash as I could and went searching for Josua, who turns out to be a professional negotiator.”
The man who leads Indonesia’s National Aeronautics and Space Agency, Thomas Djamaluddin, explained to the press that such a big piece falling in a residential neighborhood was unusual. “The bulk of meteorites hit places far from human settlements, such as seas, forests, or deserts.”
Trust is an essential factor in a marriage. Apart from a few partnerships, all unions should have a benchmark of integrity. If that doesn’t work, you can try, but it is still improbable.
An incident can spark a disdain between the two people, and the distrust can be strong enough to affect their relationship. When this wife began to lose faith in her hubby, she decided to test her hubby’s loyalty. She found out something she never wondered.
