Police in Pontiac, Michigan are working to unlock a macabre mystery that began last Wednesday when a roofing repair crew discovered the mummified body of a woman in the back seat of a car, which was still parked in the garage.
Photo: Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press
Although the body is likely that of the house's reclusive resident, 49-year-old Pia Davida Farrenkopf, the identity remains officially unknown until dental records and other data can be consulted. According to the Detroit News, Farrenkopf had not been seen by neighbors or family in several years, so no one seemed to notice her absence until mortgage payments stopped last March.
“Regardless of who it is, the woman who lived there had her personal finances, her utilities and mortgage, all on auto-pilot,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “That’s what took this so long to come out.” He also noted that while the car keys were in the ignition, it was still in the “off” position, which seems to contradict the theory that Farrenkopf had taken her own life.
“For all we know, this person may have just been in the back seat looking for something and suddenly died for some reason,” the Sheriff said.
While this tragic case may be resolved soon, it took decades to trace the identity of this mystery mummy found hanging in a California amusement park in 1976.