Authorities in rural Elsberry, Missouri were stunned to learn that a dead man’s body was lying inside his car in the garage of his home for weeks while at least 20 people walked past him to ransack his property.
The victim, who is believed to be an estranged man in his 60s, lived alone at the home before his sudden death that occurred weeks if not months ago.
Local thieves spotted his dead body inside his car but rather than report it to police, they totally ignored his presence and walked past his cadaver again and again as they robbed his belonging.
“Once the information got out within that group of people that they took full advantage of the situation and ransacked both properties, in fact, for anything they could find of value,” Lincoln County Sheriff Rick Harrell said.
“At least six people walked by the body. Everything on the property was up for grabs because the person was deceased so they started cleaning him out.”
At least two dozen thieves ransacked the home and garage robbing tens of thousands worth of goods including firearms, cars, and money.
“Oftentimes we run into cases that are shocking, man’s inhumanity to man, and this is one of those cases,” Harrell concluded.
