The Demolition Began
When they stumbled upon the strange item they found, they began to research what was going on. Little did they know, the FBI would soon get involved as well.
The Demolition Began
Starting The Renovation
As is always the case with home renovations, this couple knew that they were in for unexpected surprises along the way. When the husband began the demolition, he first found some graffiti sprawled behind their walls!
Starting The Renovation
So Many Secrets
It’s not too surprising that the homeowner was quite taken aback by the scribbles he found in the walls of his basement. He didn’t know then that the graffiti would be the least bizarre thing that he would find during this renovation.
So Many Secrets
What’s That On The Ceiling?
Soon after, the man realized that there was something stuck on the rafters by the ceiling. As he drew closer to get a better look, he was puzzled to see and object that he could not identify. It looked as though the item was placed in the exact spot it was in to keep it perfectly hidden. The man mustered all his strength to get it down.
What’s That On The Ceiling?
Something Bizarre
The homeowner was already documenting the renovation process on his camera, which would come quite in handy a bit later. At first, he thought it would just be a nice way to see the home’s transformation. Then he stumbled upon the strange object.
Something Bizarre
An Old Suitcase
Upon demolishing the ceiling in order to update it, the homeowner noticed pieces of the wall coming down. That is when he saw an old suitcase stuck high up in the rafters. At first, he really was not sure how to react. What was it doing there? Was it left behind by accident or on purpose?
An Old Suitcase
What Was Inside?
The suitcase, which was a faded green and grey, seemed to be hidden so perfectly that the homeowner thought that it had to have been hidden there on purpose. Once he was finally able to reach it, he was surprised at just how heavy it was.
What Was Inside?
The Heavy Suitcase
After finally taking down the heavy suitcase, the homeowner began to feel that something very strange was going on. He knew that he needed to exercise caution when opening up the suitcase, but his curiosity got the better of him. He had to know what was inside.
The Heavy Suitcase
The Reveal
The homeowner called his wife and told her about the suitcase. She decided to come home so they could open the suitcase together. He also did not want to open the suitcase alone, especially since they had absolutely no idea what they would find in there.
The Reveal
What Could It Be?
The homeowner had a gut feeling about the fact that the suitcase was hidden there on purpose, but he still had no clue as to why that would be the case. What secret was stashed in there, tucked away in the ceiling? While he waited for his wife to come home, he was tempted to peek inside.
What Could It Be?
Small But Heavy
Considering that the suitcase was rather small, the homeowner just could not believe how heavy it actually was. He anxiously awaited his wife’s arrival so he could finally open it up, but in the meantime, his imagination was running. Once she finally got home, he hurriedly explained the whole story to her.
Small But Heavy
Maybe An Overreaction
Of course, there was a huge possibility that the man was overreacting quite a bit to the suitcase. But still, why would someone take the time to hide this incredibly heavy suitcase in such an inconveniently located hiding spot?
Maybe An Overreaction
The Anticipation
The man was feeling quite hyper at this point. It was almost like finding a mysterious box around Christmastime, knowing you weren’t supposed to find it but then being consumed by thoughts of what could possibly be inside.
The Anticipation
His Wild Guesses
The man wondered whether he’d find some personal treasure of mementos like family photos, heirlooms, or letters in the suitcase. He imagined endless possibilities, but once he and his wife finally opened the box, he knew he was way off…
His Wild Guesses
Unwrapping The Items
At first, the couple was not really sure what they were looking at. Then the realized that the items in the suitcase were individually wrapped in wax paper, but they couldn’t tell what they were. They knew then that they’d have to unwrap them to figure out what was going on.
Unwrapping The Items
Bag Full Of Money
The husband and wife were absolutely stunned when they began unwrapping the items. The wax paper was full of piles of money. The questions immediately began running through their minds. Who did this money belong to? Why was it all left behind? They had no idea what to do.
Bag Full Of Money
Absolutely Stunned
The two homeowners were so shocked to see the piles and piles of money hidden in this mysterious suitcase. How could they trace back who this money belonged to? Why was it hidden here at all?
Absolutely Stunned
So Much Money
As they continued to unwrap the wax paper parcels, they found more and more money, and the size of the bills continued to increase. It was obvious that these bills were very old. They were really curious about who this bag of money belonged to and how long these bills were up there for.
So Much Money
What To Do?
The couple were truly at a loss as to what to do. They never were expecting to find such an unbelievable amount of money in their home. In an interview, the homeowner shared that he really was at a loss since he had never experienced anything like this before.
What To Do?
Endless Pile Of Money
Even they they’d unwrapped many of the money parcels already, there were still tons of parcels left unwrapped. They wondered if the bag was truly filled with packets and packets of money or whether there was anything else stashed in there.
Endless Pile Of Money
Things Became Serious
At first when the couple began unwrapping the parcels, they found stacks of 20 dollar bills. But as they continued, they saw bundles of 50 dollar bills…and then 100 dollar bills. They were stunned to be finding so much money, as they had never held this many dollar bills at one time before.
Things Became Serious
A Lot Of Cash
In an interview, the husband told reporters that: “The second package didn’t have any twenties. It was all fifties! What is going on here? There could be 5 grand here! Wait! The third package is 100s! This is out of control!”
A Lot Of Cash
When Was It From?
The couple had to figure out what to do about the big stack of cash. In the beginning, they thought the situation was kind of hilarious, but as things progressed, they realized it wasn’t actually so funny. They started to worry that something more sinister was going on…
When Was It From?
Dating Back To Earlier Decades
The couple started to guess estimates of how old these dollar bills exactly were. They ballpark estimated that they must have been from the 1920’s or 30’s. There were some items that they could identify from the 50’s. So what was going on exactly?
Dating Back To Earlier Decades
More Items Found
As they kept digging, the couple started finding other items stashed away in the suitcase as well. They realized that the items and the money had to have been sitting in the suitcase for a while and that the suitcase must have been in the house for many years.
More Items Found
The First Clue
They kept digging on in the suitcase until they found a very old newspaper at the very bottom of the bag. They realized that this could help them date the items and cash and that it might finally help them figure out what was going on.
The First Clue
Over Half A Century Old
Upon further inspection, the couple saw that the old paper was from March 25th, 1951! They could not believe their eyes. They had no idea how all of this had been tucked away for over half a century without anyone noticing…or was it on purpose?
Over Half A Century Old
Feeling Apprehensive
The couple started reading through the paper, which was a local paper called the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Though they were mesmerized by what they found, they were worried that they had stumbled into something sinister. How much did the money total up to, and what was it worth today? Why was it hidden all this time?
Feeling Apprehensive
Star Bills
What was even more surprising was the fact that the couple also found some “star bills” in the suitcase, which refers to bills that never went into circulation. These bills have been around for more than 70 years!
Star Bills
Reaching Out For Help
The couple knew that they needed help from others to uncover what was going on. They sought out a lawyer who could help them figure out how much the money was worth now. The lawyer they recruited help them realize that they had stumbled upon money worth $23,000 today!
Reaching Out For Help
Here We Go Again
The couple decided after all the excitement that it was time to get back to their normal routine and start up with their home’s renovations again. They never expected to find yet another suitcase again…
Here We Go Again
What Was In The Second Suitcase?
The couple opened up the second suitcase and went into complete shock. They could not believe their eyes at what they found once again.
What Was In The Second Suitcase?
The Identical Suitcase
The second suitcase they found was also full of more stacks of cash. This was too much for them to comprehend. But what they would discover next would truly blow their minds…
The Identical Suitcase
The Secret Door
While continuing their home renovations, the couple stumbled upon a door they had never seen before. It’s not every day that you find a secret door in your home, and they were curious and nervous about seeing what was behind it. What they saw made their heads spin…
The Secret Door
Yet Another Mystery
When the couple first began the search for these mysterious items in their home, they did not realize that it would lead them to dealing with the FBI. Though they had hoped that they may have reached the jackpot and would be able to keep the cash, but they’d soon learn that this was not the case.
Yet Another Mystery
Behind The Door
When the couple were buying the home, their realtor told them the the door was for the water heater. Little did they know, this was not true at all. It was a bit unclear whether the realtor was purposely misleading them, but they soon found out what was behind…
Behind The Door
Locked Away
The door was secured with a bolt and also locked with a master lock. However, the couple knew they had to get behind this strange door. The man rushed to grab a hammer, and began to chip away at the lock.
Locked Away
Dark And Musty
It was clear that this door was hiding something and that it had been locked up for quite some time. Once they were able to crack the door open a bit, they immediately noticed the terrible condition it was in and the mold that had been growing there.
Dark And Musty
Never Found It Before
Although the couple had been living in this house for quite some time, they had never noticed any of these strange things before. They felt a strange feeling discovering something was hidden inside their house all along…
Never Found It Before
Finding Out
Some people may say that the couple was being reckless by looking around on their own. They knew that there was a chance that something dangerous was going on, but they were also quite curious and they wanted to find out what was hidden there before involving other people.
Finding Out
They Had Been Duped
It turns out that the water heater room, was in fact, a cover up. Clearly, whoever had designed the trick room wanted to pass it off as just a normal part of the house and keep everything inside hidden.
They Had Been Duped
A Soundproofed Room
When they opened the door, they found a room that was completely cover in soundproofing tarp. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all covered in this tarp. They immediately began to panic. Surely this had something to do with criminal activity, and they were very alarmed.
A Soundproofed Room
A Second Door
They kept looking around the room, only to find a second door. What could possibly be in there? They carefully opened the second door and what they saw there caused them to contact authorities.
A Second Door
A Mysterious Item Found
As they looked around the inner room, they stumbled upon a black Sentry safe tucked in the corner of the room. They looked at one another, not knowing what to think. Things were getting stranger and stranger, but they wanted to know what was inside the safe.
A Mysterious Item Found
The Mysterious Safe
Finding a mysterious room within a secret room is already crazy enough. But now that they had found a safe within the second room, they began to feel really creeped out. The man had a feeling that the safe would not contain the same type of items they had already found, but there was only one way to find out for sure.
The Mysterious Safe
More Secrets To Uncover
The man knew that at this point, he was most likely not going to find anything that he wanted to find. While everything they had found by now was quite valuable, why was it there in the first place? It was clear that someone was trying to secure it all and hide it.
More Secrets To Uncover
Terrifying Note
With trembling hands, the homeowner carefully opened the safe. It revealed a blood-curdling note that read “save yourself.” The couple were downright terrified now. What was going on in their home?
Terrifying Note
A Second Chilling Note
They were absolutely right about that. However, for the time being, they decided to push aside their mounting fears in order to see what was inside. After the man opened the safe, he found a note. The note read: “save yourself.”
A Second Chilling Note
Who Wrote This?
The wording alone was enough to terrify anyone, but the way it was written was also scary. It looked rushed and the fact that the message was hastily written in black ink made everything feel much more sinister. Who had written this? What was going on?
Who Wrote This?
They Had To Keep Going
The man had a feeling that there was still a lot more to discover. He and his wife decided to keep searching around, and they continued to find even more strange and confusing items. They knew that they had to involve the police very soon.
They Had To Keep Going
It Got Scarier
Underneath the terrifying note, there were dozens of videotapes. But he also uncovered yet another hand written message that read “do not.” What on earth was happening here?
It Got Scarier
VHS Tapes
The man quickly realized that these were actually VHS tapes. He wondered whether the truth of the story was hidden on these very tapes. He took out all of the tapes in order to inspect them closer.
VHS Tapes
The Tapes
The couple realized that these tapes were much newer than all of the other items that they had found hidden throughout their home. They realized that this was too much for them to handle, and they decided to call the authorities immediately.
The Tapes
One With No Label
Five out of the six tapes that the couple found had those strange labels. What did those labels mean? However, they soon realized that just one of the tapes had no label at all. They were extremely creepd out at this point.
One With No Label
He Was So Curious
The man could not wait to see what was hidden on those tapes. He eventually found a way to watch them, and just a few seconds into the tapes, he immediately called the authorities and got them involved.
He Was So Curious
The FBI Steps In
Once everything was divulged to the authorities, the FBI came in to get ahold of the tapes. At this point, the contents of the tape were unknown to the public. Now it was time for the FBI to figure things out.
The FBI Steps In
Very Mysterious
The couple who live in the home and found all these tapes knew that there was a real chance that they would never find out the whole story behind everything they found. The media had some theories, all involving horrific crimes that could have taken place in the soundproofed room. It is still unclear what exactly happened.
Very Mysterious
Questions Arose
It’s natural that ever since the public was made aware of the situation that many questions began to arise. What went on in that house? Who had been living there and hiding all of these strange things?
Questions Arose
Were There More Secrets?
Was there anything else hiding in a nook or crevice in the house, waiting to be discovered? Would they stumble into any more mysteries hidden away from being found?
Were There More Secrets?
They Were Lucky
Given that anything could have happened at this point, the couple who had found all of these strange items in their home were quite lucky that nothing happened to them. They made the right choice in contacting the proper authorities and letting them handle the situation. At least they have quite the story to tell friends and family.
They Were Lucky
