Skull! Publix Store Has Halloween Fright When Homeless Man Brings Real Human Skeleton
After a homeless man in Florida found a real human skull, Publix shoppers were in for an early Halloween 2015 fright because the homeless man began to use the human skull like it was a puppet. Despite making himself a morbid spectacle, the homeless man claims he was simply trying to get help since he had found human remains in the nearby woods. Although the Indian River County Sheriff’s office was eventually contacted, police officers are faced with a pre-Halloween mystery since they do know where the human body came from.
In a related report by the Inquisitr, a Florida woman glued one of her eyes shut when a friend mistook super glue for eye drops. But this woman’s personal story only became worse when she tried to go to the doctor’s office.
In a news release, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office says that police officers were alerted to the discovery by shoppers. It is said that after the homeless man walked into the parking lot at Riverwalk Plaza in Roseland carrying the human skull, Publix shoppers say he began showing off the human head.
“He had put the skull on top of a trash can over there because he wanted to tell somebody to call the sheriff’s office,” Indian River County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Thomas Raulen explained, according to the Associated Press.
Unfortunately, while the discovery alerted authorities to presence of the human skull, Publix customers said the homeless man began using the skull like something out of a Halloween movie.
“He was using it as a puppet,” said witness Nick Pecoraro, according to WPBF. “It smelled like death.”
Pecoraro says he called 911 shortly the homeless man began playing with the human skull. Publix customers might have thought it was just a Halloween prop, but Pecoraro realized it was a real human skull.
“It’s definitely a human skull; it’s still got teeth in it,” Pecoraro told a 911 dispatcher in the 911 call recording. “I’m standing in front of it, but I’m not touching (it).”
After deputies arrived on the scene, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Raulen said the homeless man led them to a nearby wooded area where transients were known to live. The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office spokesman claims it is unlikely that the unknown victim was decapitated, but the “body was deteriorated for so long that the skull was simply sitting there with the rest of the bones.”
The identity of the homeless man was also not released to the public. Deputies said the wooded area is known to be frequented by homeless people, but the remains were not located close to any known camps for the homeless. As of this publishing, authorities do not seem to believe the homeless have anything to do with the missing person’s body.
In a Facebook post, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office gave more details about the Publix skull incident. As shown on this map photo, the human remains were found approximately 200 feet east of highway U.S. 1.
Although the identity or sex of the human remains has yet to be announced, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office says the small, homeless population living in the woods have attempted to help police officers. They have provided a name to investigators, but police have yet to confirm if the identity is correct. In regard to the human skull, Publix corporate has yet to add anything official to the account.
Anyone with information related the Publix skull incident, including the potential name of the deceased, is asked to contact Detective Kevin Heinig at 772-978-6121. Those wishing to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 can provide information through Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-8477 or www.tcwatch.org.
[Photo by Dimas Ardian/Getty Images]
