Two men hired to clean out a vacant Tampa Bay area house thought they found a mannequin hanging in the garage. They cut it down and hauled it to the local dump, where landfill workers realized it was actually a human body.
Hernando County Sheriff's officials on Thursday said the 33-year-old Spring Hill man apparently committed suicide several weeks ago and his body was in a "state of decomposition similar to mummification."
Israel Lopez and Adam Hines told authorities they thought the former renters had left a "Halloween-like" hoax. Lopez hauled the debris to the landfill while Hines continued cleaning.
Plenty of trash and rodents were found in the home and the workers thought that was the cause of the bad smell.
Landfill workers spotted the remains and called deputies. Lopez was questioned when he brought a second load to the dump. Hines and the property owner were also questioned.
The medical examiner is trying to figure out how long ago the man died.
