Florida Man Purchases Foreclosed House At An Auction, Finds Corpse On Bedroom Floor The Next Day

When Cape Coral, Florida, resident William Wilson bought an unused foreclosed home that is thought to have been uninhabited for the past three years, the last thing he expected to find inside it was a corpse. But that is exactly what happened the day after the auction, when he went to visit the home he bought for $96,000. The house, situated on the SE 19th Lane at Cape Coral did show visible signs of neglect and disuse with its rusted iron gates and windows. The front door was locked using four dead bolts as well, reports the News-Press. However, there was little sign of the horror that awaited William after he entered the bedroom of the house.

According to ABC News, Wilson bought the home at an auction on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he decided to pay a visit to his new acquisition. He was planning to do a brief evaluation of the house, trim the hedges, and probably mow the lawn — usual things a new home owner would do. When he reached the home and opened it, it became clear that the house was in a deep state of neglect. Still, discovering a corpse inside the house was far from Wilson’s mind.

“The inside was a mess. It looked like someone was packing to move. There were a lot of boxes, some pictures of children on the fridge,” says Wilson.

He added that the most recent mail which had arrived at the home was from November 2011. There were also unpaid tax receipts going back three years. However, the most shocking discovery was made when he entered to check out the master bedroom of the house. Wilson found the remains of a human body lying on the floor next to the bed. While the corpse was in a high state of decomposition, there were remains of bones, skin, and the smell of human remains. It was impossible to determine if the corpse was male or female.

“You couldn’t tell who it was. You couldn’t tell if it was a male or a female… it’s disappointing and a sad thing that nobody cared enough to check,” Wilson explained.

Wilson called police officials upon making the gruesome discovery, and within minutes officials from The Cape Coral Police Department responded to the scene.

It is now believed that the corpse is likely to be of a woman who used to reside at the house – although this is yet to be confirmed. According to people living in the locality, the elderly woman, who was from Miami, lived at the house with her sister and were the last known residents. However, the neighbors added that they hadn’t heard or seen them for the past several years. While many people thought they had moved, others simply decided to go on with their lives and didn’t bother to check on the missing woman. There have been instances of people living with corpses for months, but this seems to be a rare incident where no one discovered a corpse lying inside a house for over three years.

Officers are currently investigating the identity of the corpse and evaluating the circumstances of the person’s death.

[Image Via Jack Hardman/The News-Press]