Their Home Renovation Led To An FBI Investigation

While renovating their ’40s home, a husband and wife from Ohio, they found something amazing. They had just finished working on the first and second floors of the house. Now it was time for the basement. They had no idea what was coming for them. As they began working on the demolition, they hacked at the plywood. While doing this, something caught their eye.

Demolition In Progress

They were fascinated by the item the discovered and began looking into matters some more. However, they had no clue they would need to contact the FBI for what they would soon be finding in their basement.

Chipping Away

As they started to chip away at all the walls, the husband came across some graffiti spread out across the room. The basement renovations were filled with all kinds of surprises from the very beginning.

A House Full Of Secrets

The house’s owner couldn’t believe what he was seeing as he pulled down the wallpaper. What he found was appalling writing and drawings all over the walls. He never would have expected that this was only the beginning of the unexpected things that would happen.

Stuck In The Ceiling

He noticed there was lodged between the subfloor and the ceiling. He took a closer look. It was difficult since the object was perfectly fitted between the rafters. He had to rely on his strength and courage to get the object and pull it towards himself.

Found Something Strange

The homeowner didn’t really notice his surroundings. He simply kept working on cleaning the area and then hammering through it all. He also made sure to document every step of the way with his camera.

Mysterious Suitcase

Some of the walls were partly demolished when he started tearing down the ceiling. When he continued, he discovered something he couldn’t believe. Eventually, he noticed the huge bulk was, in fact, a suitcase.

Waiting For The Reveal

It was grey and green, and someone left it there so no one would ever be able to find it. He reached out for the suitcase and was surprised by its weight. Why would such a small suitcase be so heavy?

One Heavy Suitcase

Something told him he needed to be cautious when approaching the matter. He started feeling feverish from all the excitement of what hidden treasures might be in the box. He took a deep breath and continued on his mission.

The Big Reveal

He decided to call up his wife and waited for her to get back home. He didn’t want her to miss out on this big reveal. Not to mention, he wanted to have her there in case something took a bad turn.

What Could Be Inside?

Someone really went to great lengths to his this suitcase, but one question is, why? While he was waiting for his wife, he started inspecting the suitcase and was shocked to find out just how heavy this item was.

Big Dreams In A Little Suitcase

While it was relatively small, the mysteries inside it must have been huge. He began dwelling on what could be hiding inside the suitcase. He thought it must be something very valuable or important since someone hid it so carefully.

Maybe It was Nothing

He thought it was mind-blowing to see these things. He couldn’t wait to figure out just what was hidden inside. The minute his wife got home, he told her exactly what he had found while demolishing the basement.

Christmas

It must have felt like Christmas to this mad because he was going to unwrap something that he knew nothing about. The couple gathered and together, they brainstormed what could possibly be inside the mystery suitcase.

What’s Inside?

What could it be? Cash? Cards? Jewelry? The man had somewhat low expectations, thinking he would probably just find some old sports cards. Well, it turns out that he was very far off. He couldn’t believe what he ended up finding.

Unwrapping The Mystery

The couple sat down and opened the suitcase together. Nothing seemed too odd at first. They found wads of wax paper wrapped around rectangular objects. By that point, they still didn’t have a clue about the secret contents of the suitcase.

Full of Money

It was only when they took out the bundles that everything started making sense. The two of them started unwrapping all the wax papers they found inside. They held a mystery object together, but what was it?

Speechless Over The Money

The husband started peeling off the waxy material. Only then did it dawn on him that he was looking at money! The bundle was hiding a huge stack of $20 bills. Not to mention, this was only the first bundle.

So Much Cash

The husband and wife started looking at the bills a little more closely when they realized they were all very old. They couldn’t believe the sheer amount of cash they were looking at. Who put all that money there?

And More Money

“These are all twenties! There may be a couple thousand here! We are freaking out at this point,” the husband later said to journalists. “This doesn’t happen to us! What do we do? Where are the cameras?”

Endless Cash

They were excited to start unwrapping all the other bundles. Were they going to find the same thing or did they have something even more valuable than the first one they found? The husband and wife looked at the bundles in awe.

At First, It Was Funny

They were hoping they’d find the same thing in the rest of the bundles as well. They were excited as they started peeling back the wax paper layers. However, they didn’t find more $20 bills. They found wads of $50 and $100 bills.

Old Money

“The second package didn’t have any twenties. It was all fifties! What is going on here? There could be 5 grand here! Wait! The third package is 100s! This is out of control!” he later explained. They had plenty of questions going through their heads.

Dating The Cash

The couple was discovering stacks of mysterious money in their house. At first, they thought it was funny. But they quickly realized this wasn’t a joking matter. In all seriousness, where did the money come from, and who tried hiding it?

From the 1950s

Where did the money come from? The bills were clearly hidden a long time ago, as far back as the ’20s and ’30s. How much time has gone by since it was al hidden? How much money was in there at all?

A Pleasant Surprise

After looking into the matter some more, something became very clear to the husband and wife. Everything, from the money to the suitcase was very, very old. All the same, they desperately wanted to learn more about this situation.

They Had A Normal Life

They got the rest of the bundles from the suitcase and got another surprise that answered several of their questions. At the bottom, there was a newspaper lying flat. The husband and wife just stared at the date of the newspaper.

1951

The date on the newspaper indicated that the suitcase was from 1951. In fact, the newspaper was dated March 25th, 1951. The paper was from an old newspaper named the Cleaveland Plain Dealer. The couple was in awe at the age of the paper.

Had To Contact The Authorities

Other than that, it was an issue of the local newspaper in Cleveland. The couple was surprised as well as excited to find out that they found something as incredible as they did. However, they wondered just how much all this money was worth in today’s currency.

More Things To Uncover

They just couldn’t believe their luck. What made it more amazing was the fact that some of the bills were star bills, meaning that they never even made their way to the markets. They all came from more than seven decades ago.

Never-Ending Findings

The couple was shocked, to say the least. They got in touch with a lawyer who would help them figure out how much the cash is all worth. The lawyer said the money they found was worth around $23,000.

Back To Work

After celebrating their exciting find for a whole week, the couple made the decision it was time to get back to their normal routine. They were so excited and overjoyed with this finding, but enough was enough. Little did they know, the surprise wasn’t quite over.

And Here We Go Again

Even people that discover $23,000 in their ceiling still need to go back and finish their home renovations. This DIY expert was once again shocked when he discovered a second suitcase waiting for him in the ceiling.

Heavier Than The First

Again, the husband was alone when he found the second suitcase. He couldn’t even contain his excitement. How was it possible that he missed it when he found the first one? He impatiently waited for his wife to get home and open it with her.

The New Suitcase

When the man took to Reddit to share his story, he said, “This was a wild ride for us, and I hope you all enjoyed it, too”. He continued, “We are boring people and have been dumping our extra money to pay off our mortgage, and that is where this money will go too.”

Same But Different

While the husband documented the entire thing on his camera, he had no idea of the surprise he was in for. It was only natural he and his wife would get more and more curious as time went on, especially after their first discovery.

The Search Continues

We can only wonder if there are even more mysteries hiding within the walls of their house. There was no way the couple could leave the basement in its current half-done state. So, they decided to continue their search.

A Bigger Fortune

Soon, the couple learned something so surprising that it became important to get in touch with the FBI. The homeowners were aware they had to keep going with the renovation process. So, that’s exactly what they did.

The Wait Is Over

At last, his wife walked through the door and immediately, they opened the suitcase. Just like what happened with the first one, it was stacked with thick stacks of money. The final sum will have you speechless.

What Else Was Hiding Here?

They had no idea that the bunches of bills wouldn’t be the only thing they would find in there. When they went back to work, the man saw yet another case hidden in between the rafters! What could that one possibly contain?

What They Found There

There was absolutely no way the couple could forget about the treasure they discovered in the first suitcase, so they were optimistic. However, the suitcase didn’t contain the same thing. There were no stacks of money in the wax paper this time around.

The Final Count

Were they going to find more of these as they went on with the renovation? The husband could tell he was about to find other precious and valuable items there. He eagerly waited for his wife to get home again so they could open the mystery suitcase.

Big Secrets

The second suitcase happened to be almost identical to the last one in its appearance. Was it possible this suitcase stored the same thing as the last? When the wife got home, she and her husband wasted no time opening the suitcase.

A Secret Door

At last, the excitement from the money-filled suitcase subsided and the couple got home again to finish working on the house. However, while working, they saw something strange – a door on the second floor they’d always wondered about. They opened it and found a weird secret area that was almost disturbing.

Finding Hiding Spots

As it turns out, the second suitcase was full of money, all lined up neatly! The couple gasped. They couldn’t tell how much money was there yet, but they couldn’t help but wonder what else was hidden in that house.

He Felt Nervous

They couldn’t believe their luck. When they had the money appraised again, the couple learned that this batch was worth approximately $45,000. They were shocked and had a hard time processing it. They were rich!

What Else Would They Uncover?

Yet again, the couple was amazed at their unbelievable luck. The entire ordeal only made them all the more determined to keep going with the renovations they planned on doing. They were eager to see what else they might find.

Another Big Mystery

As they kept on working in the basement, they couldn’t help but wonder if the house was hiding anything else interesting. However, they definitely didn’t expect that they would have to get into contact with the FBI!

Full Of Secrets

Now that they found out the house was hiding something, the couple was excited to keep exploring. Their motivation only grew as soon as they figured out where they should look next inside the house.

Tearing Down The Door

There turned out to be a secret door that the realtor told them about. He had said it was housing the hot water heater, but their guts told them that there must be something more valuable inside there as well.

He Found More Mysteries

They decided they should look behind the mystery door. It turns out that their instincts were spot-on because they found the biggest secret in there. The opened the tiny white door and immediately realized that the realtor had lied to them.

They Were Fooled

Unlike what the realtor told the owners of the home to make it seem like they were buying any other house on the market, this was not actually the room where they kept the water heater. The realtor lied to them to cover up this room. When they opened the door they were shocked.

Hidden Room

This mysterious room was bigger than they ever imagined it would be, especially since they thought it was a room for the water heater. The room’s floor was made up of different types of carpets, almost as if they took a bunch of samples and laid them all out. He told her to stay back; they had no idea what was in this room.

Door Number Two

Imagine living in your house for all this time, a house that you paid for with your own money and invested so much into, and finding out there are parts of the home that are actually a complete mystery to you. His thoughts were running in a million different directions at this point.

Something Sinister

When he saw that the door was bolted shut with a lock, the man knew it wasn’t time for him to give up his fight for answers yet. He ran back to get a hammer, and he started pounding at the door with every bit of strength and force he had in him.

They Couldn’t Handle This Alone

When they got the door open and took a peak, they could see that the room was in horrible condition. This room wasn’t unused at all; it was very heavily used at one point in time, and it was falling apart. It had mold and looked as though someone just made a complete mess and left. Someone worked hard to hide this room.

Uh Oh

The couple who lived here and been living in the home for several years at this point, yet they had never noticed or taken interest in this door before. Why would someone work so hard and put in so much effort to soundproofing a room to this extent? What happened in here?

More Mysteries Down There

They couldn’t help but let their minds jump to the scariest thoughts immediately. What would make someone want to cover all of the floors, walls, ceiling, and windows in a room with totally soundproof tarp?

What They Found

What could this room possibly have been used for? As we know, the husband here loves to do DIY at-home projects, so his curiosity and imagination often gets the best of him. He couldn’t help but come up with all these ideas in his head of what the room could have been once.

Full Of Jewels

This secret room they had just discovered was far from empty or abandoned; in fact, it even had a briefcase just laying on the floor! At first, he was hesitant to keep approaching it, but his hesitation diminished while his curiosity grew exponentially.

The Strange Safe

What began as a fun and light-stress home renovation quickly turned into something that could potentially ruin this couple’s lives. Usually, when a room or closet in a home is kept so hidden away and out of reach from people, it means there’s something going on in there that shouldn’t be going on.

 

Hidden Inside

After they mustered up the courage to open up the mysterious suitcase, they found an old wooden box, watches, rings, four 1-ounce silver ingots, a jewelry box, and envelopes full of currencies from places all over the world. Who could these valuable items have belonged to?

 

What Was Going On Here?

The door that this couple found ended up leading to another door, which was the room that had layers of soundproofing tarps and mismatched carpeting in it. There was something about the room that gave him a bad feeling; he knew something bad happened here. What was it, though?

A Terrifying Note

As they took a deep breath and entered further into the room to keep looking around, their eye caught something that made everything make more sense. They looked at the object, then looked at each other, and quickly understood together that it was definitely time to contact the authorities.

He Was Terrified

The more they looked, the more bizarre things the found in this room. One thing included a brown briefcase; since they had really hit the jackpot with the first two suitcases they found, they thought they’d get just as lucky this time.

One More Warning

They were very far off in their hopes versus reality, though, as they didn’t find anything valuable. They took plenty of photos of the things they found and made sure to document everything that they saw that could potentially be useful later.

An Unsettling Detail

They took as many photos as they could because this was an experience they knew they’d need documentation to talk about later. They had so many questions and so much curiosity about what they were looking at, which is how they got to the point of opening the briefcase. Inside the case, they found expensive antique jewelry like watches, a ring, and 4 silver ingots.

They Needed The Police

It wasn’t only the jewelry that they found, but they also discovered a ton of envelopes with money in them from all different countries around the world; where did this money come from and why did these people need it? As they kept looking more and more, they laid their eyes on a black Sentry safe in the corner of the room. What could this be from?

Some Disturbing Footage

There was another secret in this room… a secret safe, in a secret room? What could be going on here? The more items they discovered, the more freaked out he got; he knew that there was nothing normal or ordinary in this room and that everything in here contained things that it definitely shouldn’t.

An Investigation Of Epic Proportions

There was no doubt in his mind that the more they looked around this room, the more things they would find that they don’t want to see. Everything they found so far looked like it held a lot of value, but why did it need to be kept in such a top-secret area?

The FBI Is Here To Help

They had a lot of terrifying suspicions and thoughts in their heads, but nonetheless, they kept looking around anyway and decided it was time to explore further into this safe they found. When they opened it, they found a sign that said, “Save yourself.” How terrifying for them.

How Can You Be Sure?

The words on the letter themselves were scary enough, but the fact that it was written in horrible handwriting and that the writer had used a thick pen which was clearly dripping of ink made it even scarier. Why would someone write a note like this?

They Got Lucky

He was becoming more and more aware that if they wanted answers, they needed to continue with the investigation; they also knew that their best option for safety was to get the police involved sooner rather than later.

Do Not

The more they kept digging, the more nervous and uncomfortable they got. The next note the man picked up said, “Do not” on it. What could this possibly mean? They were terrified at this point and didn’t know what to do next, but they were so curious.

VHS Tapes

Upon finding a whole bunch of VHS tapes written in recorded order, he knew that he needed to watch them if he wanted any answers. When he took the tapes out of the briefcase, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect. He inspected them to see what was going on.

Newer

He was a bit nervous to realize that these VHS tapes looked much newer than everything else that was discovered recently; it scared him a bit, but he kept looking around. He noticed that the tapes were all numbered in what seemed to be chronological order.