Siblings empty late mom's house and find a mummified baby in a box

When three siblings cleared out their late mother’s house in February they made an unexpected and gruesome discovery; they had another sibling, mummified in a box.

The two sisters and their brother went to their mother’s house in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, U.K. after her passing to clear it out. While making their way through the house of late Carol Thompson on February 3, they found a small box in a cupboard under the stairs, it was 18 inches in size and once opened they made a shocking discovery.

The contents consisted of envelopes and a small body, wrapped in clothing and mummified. The siblings went to the police, apart from it being a matter for authorities, they wanted answers too.

The assistant coroner, John Broadbridge, called it ‘the most distressing case’ he has dealt with in 25 years.

Investigations followed, and during an inquest held at Solberge Hall, in Northallerton today it was heard to be the body of Carol Thompson and ex-husband Melvin’s baby and appeared to have been carried to full term.

Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa.

Detective Sergeant Matthew Wilkinson, of North Yorkshire Police and lead on the case, gave evidence at the hearing where he said that an extensive investigation revealed that none of the family members, including Melvin Thompson had any idea about a pregnancy or another child.

Exhaustive inquiries shed no light on the circumstances surrounding the life or death of the baby sibling found in the closet.DNA testing and a post-mortem showed Carol and Melvin as the parents while testing performed on the clothing the baby got wrapped up in dated it to be from the late 1950s to early 1960s. Dating on the letters found in the box was August 1968.

The assistant coroner, John Broadbridge, called it ‘the most distressing case’ he has dealt with in 25 years. Broadbridge also added that due to the mummification process they were unable to determine whether death occurred before or after birth. Bones were all intact and without injury.

This is unfortunately not the only tragic and mysterious case involving mummification and unknown circumstances that surround it. In 2015 the body of Pia Farrenkopf mummified, in her garage got found five years after her death.

Due to the extent of the mummification, the autopsy could not determine a cause of death.

Pia estranged from her family, caused no concern with prolonged absence and lived alone in her house in a neighborhood she was known in to be gone for long periods at a time.

When her house in Michigan remained seemingly void of life, neighbors thought her to have left during the foreclosing crisis. Last year on March 5, two construction workers arrived to do repairs ordered by the mortgage owner.

In the garage, the construction workers made a shocking discovery. In the back seat of her Jeep Liberty, Pia Farrenkopf’s body lay mummified dressed in jeans, a blue shirt, and a black jacket. Hundreds of unopened letters and empty packs of cigarettes surrounded her. There was $500 in cash in her pocket with a partially drunk bottle of wine by her side.

All Pia’s bills got automatically deducted from her bank account, and due to a substantial credit, it took a long time for the money to run out and someone to notice.

Due to the extent of the mummification the autopsy could not determine a cause of death but put the time of death in early 2009, and there were no signs of physical trauma.

According to Oakland County Sheriff it only leads to a few conclusions as he said:

“Either it was a medical situation that led to her death or something self-induced.”

Some secrets both Pia and the baby took to their graves. But perhaps the mystery surrounding the recent death of another baby will be solved.

On August 5, 2018, husband and wife Monte and Diana Campbell from Stillwater, Oklahoma and spotted a baby floating in the water face up in the East River close to the Brooklyn Bridge. Monte made his way to the baby and pulled him out of the water.

Help soon arrived, and the baby got taken to the New York Presbyterian Hospital in Lower Manhattan where he was soon pronounced dead. Police issued statements soon after stating they were still seeking answers and asked that anyone with information contact them.