A former mortuary – complete with the original embalming room – has vend for more than twice its guide charge at auction.
The spooky thing was listed with an estimate of around £55,000.
And John Pye Auctions warned potential buyers that the dilapidated building in Leek, Staffordshire, needed complete refurbishment or demolition.
However, despite its run-down condition, the building, early used as a morgue, allure lots of market interest, with some bidders deficient in turning it into “a spooky-themed Airbnb.”
The old mortuary – last used to tend the dead 20 years ago – went under the mallet on Thursday (27 April).
It sparked a bidding conflict until it sold for £137,000 – £82,000 more than expected.
The buyer, who has yet to be named, has yet to reveal what they plan to do with the building and its half an acre of surrounding land.
A dusty old mortuary with its original preserve room has sold for a spooktacular £137,000. The weird thing sparked a bidding war and exceeded its modest £55,000 guide price.
Some likely buyers wanted to turn it into “a sinister-themed Airbnb”; however, the new owner – who has not been named – has not disclosed what they plan to do with the run-down structure and its half-an-acre of nearby land.
Abandoned Mortuary Sells for Double Its Asking Price
However, they will have a project as the chattel, sold by John Pye Auctions, need “full refurbishment or demolition”.
Pictures – which can be regarded in the gallery below – show how the building last used to tend to the dead 20 years ago was nearby by overgrown shrubs and weeds. Other rooms were piled high with rubbish; some had crumbling walls, stained tiles, and holes in the ceiling panels.
Auctioneer Helen Bingley said the thing in Leek, Staffordshire, was going to “do an amazing project for someone”, adding: “It has enormous potential. There is quite a market for concrete buildings that people are interested in waiting overnight.
“Other abnormal buildings we have had for sale in the past comprise an observatory, water tower, an erstwhile army barracks and windmill; all have proved to be notice grabbers at auction.”
Two funeral home machinists in Colorado were sentenced Wednesday for illegally vend bodies and body parts without the families’ leave, the US Attorney’s Office said.
According to federal prosecutors, Megan Hess was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Her mother, Shirley Koch, obtained 15 years for their action in the scheme to sell the human remains to body broker services. They each entreat guilty to one count of mail fraud and aiding and abetting.
“These two women preyed on unsafe victims who turned to them in grief and sadness. But instead of donation guidance, these greedy women deceive the trust of hundreds of victims. They mutilated their loved ones,” Leonard Carollo, the drama special agent in charge at the FBI in Denver, said in a news release.
The Appeal of a ‘Spooky’ Airbnb
“Without knowledge or consent, the women hated the wishes of the grieving victims and demeaned the bodies of their family limb to sell them for gain,” Carollo said.
The women ran Sunset Mesa Funeral Home in Montrose, Colorado. From 2010 through 2018, they would converge with people seeking pyre favour for themselves or their loved ones, according to the plea accord.
“In many instances, Koch and Hess neither debate nor obtained authorization for donating decedents’ figure or body parts for body dealer services,” the news deliverer said. “In other instances, the donation topic was raised by Hess or Koch and especially rejected by the families. In such circumstances, despite the need for any authorization, Koch and Hess retrieve body parts from, or otherwise composed entire bodies of hundreds of decedents for body broker services.”
Even when families concur to donation, the news deliverer said, Hess and Koch sometimes sold the residue beyond what the family had authorized.
The news free said that the two women also brought cremated remains to families that did not belong to the families loved ones.
Turning an Abandoned Mortuary into a Thriving Business
In some cases, the pair would ship figures and body parts that trial positive for or belonged to people who had died from spread diseases – such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV – after attesting to buyers that the residue was disease-free, the news release said.
The news release said that the shipments went through the mail or on trade air flights violating the Department of Transportation rule regarding the transportation of hazardous materials.
“The defendant’s conduct was dreadful and morbid and driven by gluttonous, US Attorney Cole Finegan said. “They took fringe of numerous victims at their lowest point, given the new loss of a loved one. We desire these prison sentences will bring the victim’s family peace as they progress in grieving.”
