The Storage industry has recently gained a certain level of fame as a result of television shows like Storage Hunters and Storage Wars. The shows feature ordinary people bidding on the contents of abandoned storage units, but there’s a catch- participants are only allowed to glimpse the inside of the unit before they decide whether to purchase its contents or not. The items, once bought, are revealed to be either ordinary or wonderous. Here’s the top six craziest things that have been found in storage units over the years.
Number 6: A Robber
As mentioned above, storage units can be treasure troves for those who discover them. This must have been in Ronald R. Dennis’ mind when he decided to break into and steal from several storage units in Missouri. What Dennis didn’t bet on was a security guard passing by and closing the door of the unit while he was still in the process of the burglary. The same guard later called the police when he heard noises coming from the unit and Dennis was freed.
Number 5: The First Ever Superman Comic
In 2011, a man made an incredible discovery in a storage unit in San Fernando Valley. He immediately contacted collectibles expert Mark Belelo, who informed him that the item was in fact Action Comics no.1- the first every Superman comic.
Unfortunately for the finder, the comic actually belonged to Nicholas Cage, who had reported it stolen in 2000. The actor had purchased the comic (worth an approximately 1 million USD) back in 1995. He described its resurfacing as an act of ‘divine providence’.
Number 4: A Live Hand Grenade
Another story from 2011- a man in Michigan who won the bid for an abandoned storage unit discovered something quite terrifying whilst cleaning the space. Upon opening a hand gun case, he found a grenade with the pin still in it. He immediately took the live grenade to the local fire department.
Michigan State Police Bomb Squad were called in and safely destroyed the grenade. Deputy Chief Dan Willea said the man did the right thing by reporting it. However, he added, ideally the grenade shouldn’t have been removed from the storage unit without a bomb squad.
Number 3: A Human Leg
When Shannon Whisnat bought a storage unit in 2007, he discovered that he had bought more than he bargained for. Inside the unit was a meat smoker with an amputated leg. Shockingly, the owner of the leg, John Wood, was still alive. Wood had lost his leg in a plane crash in 2004. He decided to keep the leg in a storage unit because he wanted to be buried with it when he passed away.
Number 2: Michael Jackson’s Unreleased Music
One lucky buyer of a storage unit in America found over 250 recordings of Michael Jackson that had never been heard by the public. It turns out the previous tenant had been Michael Jackson’s father and the songs had been recorded when Jackson was in between contracts, meaning they had no legal owner. Some of the songs even featured Tina Turner!
Number 1: A dead body
In 2012, Bobbie Bennett Hancock made a startling confession to her family whilst on her deathbed. The elderly woman revealed than she had stored her mother’s dead body in a storage unit in Florida, USA.
However, the story is more sad than sinister. When Bobbie’s mother passed, she struggled with her grief. Instead of parting with her mother, Bobbie stored her body, still in a casket from the funeral, in a storage container.
