Employees at a Texas repair shop were shocked to discover two dead bodies inside a vehicle that had been purchased at auction.
Around nine in the morning on Saturday, employees called Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies to a business on Reeveston Road after they found two dead people inside a minivan that someone had delivered to the repair shop the day before. Employees at the repair shop told detectives that they discovered the dead bodies inside the vehicle after noticing an unpleasant smell.
According to police investigators, someone bought the vehicle, a minivan, at an auction outside of Harris County, and a tow truck brought it to the repair shop on Friday afternoon. The vehicle had been wrecked and was unfit for driving, so the new owner had it towed it to the shop for repairs.
After they arrived on the scene, deputies found two adult males in a state of decomposition in the rear of the minivan. They believe the remains were decomposing for more than 24 hours prior to their discovery, Sgt. Michael Ritchie told ABC 13 News.
The bodies were taken from the scene by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Officials expect autopsies to ascertain the manner and cause of death, though it was not immediately clear who they were or what caused their deaths.
The authorities did not disclose the identity of a suspect. However, investigators want to speak to the tow truck driver who delivered the minivan, according to Sgt. Ritchie. They are trying to track down the driver, hoping to find out more about the location of the minivan prior to its arrival and how the dead men got inside of it.
Buyer beware when purchasing something at an auction
Earlier this month, a new homeowner in Connecticut discovered the skeletal remains of three people in a house they bought “as is” at a foreclosure auction. Investigators said the three individuals may have been dead for several months.
Also, according to a court-appointed attorney tasked with handling the foreclosure, even though the house was in a “clear state of neglect,” there were two recently installed signs that said “Keep Out” and “Owner Occupied Premises,” and on the day of the June 6 auction, no attempt was made to enter the house.
WFSB News reports that the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has since identified two of the three people whose skeletal remains they found in the home. The identified individuals are Sally Ann Cash, 54, and her son, Brian Cash, 23, according to a press release issued Sunday by Chief Medical Examiner James R. Gill. They are the former owners of the home. The third person remains unidentified.