10 Strangest Things Discovered in Backyards

5. Buried Treasure

In 2007, a man who was only identified as Andreas K. from Wiener Neustadt, Vienna was in his backyard turning the dirt. While he was digging, he found an old bag. Inside were 200 hundred rings, gold-plated silver plates, ornate belt buckles, and other pieces encrusted with pearls and other stones.

When he first found the treasure, he packed it up in a box in his basement.

Two years later, while packing to sell his home, he came across the box which he had completely forgotten about. By then, the soil had dried and he got a better look at the treasure. It was at this time that he took the treasure to Austria’s Federal Office for Memorials. There, it was discovered that the treasure was about 650 years old. The president of the Memorials office, Barbara Neubauer, called the find sensational. She also stated that fairy tales still exist. It is unknown how much the treasure is actually worth.

4. Ancient Human Remains

In 2014, a 14-year old boy named Ari Erturk was digging in a trout pond in the backyard of his father’s Salt Lake City, Utah home.

While digging, he found the skeletal remains of a human. The boy and his father immediately called the police. The remains were picked up and sent to state medical examiner’s office for testing.

It turned out that the remains were not from a person who had died recently. With the help of experts from the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, they discovered that the remains were from a Native American man who lived over 1,000 years ago.

After the remains were examined by a forensic anthropologist they sent the report to the state Division of Indian Affairs. If it is determined that the remains are linked to any current tribes, the tribe can claim the remains. If a tribe does take possession, they would perform interment rites.

3. A Cheetah

In 2008, a 9-year old boy was playing outside of his Cambridgeshire, UK home when he ran into his house to tell his mother that there was a cheetah in the backyard. His mother didn’t believe him.

She told the local officials that she believed that it was just a large cat that her son saw. When she looked out the window, she realized that her son was telling the truth. After making a few calls, the police discovered that the cheetah has escaped from a nearby sanctuary. It wasn’t long before a few employees from the sanctuary arrived and brought the cheetah back to its home.

Considering how dangerous these animals can be, the employees from the sanctuary stated that the boy was very lucky that he didn’t approach and frighten the animal.

This is one of the strangest things discovered in backyards.

2. $175,000 Worth of Marijuana

Mack Reed was digging in his backyard when he found a vault hidden under his hot tub. He wasn’t sure what the vault was for so he contacted a hot tub technician to take a look.

When the two men looked inside, they made a shocking discovery. There was a bag in the vault that contained 60 bottles containing marijuana along with sealed bags filled with other drugs.

According to Mr. Reed, at first, he thought about keeping the drugs and selling them. He thought that it would be a great way to recoup the capital that he had put into his online business. He stated that after thinking it over, he decided it would be a bad idea. He then contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to report the find.

The dispatcher told him to bring the drugs to the police station because there were no officers available. He decided that it would be a bad idea to drive through the city with a trunk filled with drugs so he asked to have a supervisor come to his home to retrieve the bag.

When Sergeant Legaspi arrived at his home, she took the drugs and suggested that he remove the hatch just in case the owner of the drugs came back for it. Mr. Reed stated that he was worried that his children would fall into the open hole so he came up with another idea. He printed out a message that read, “We found it and called LAPD. They confiscated it and they are now watching the place. Sorry.” He stuck it on the hatch hoping that it would protect his family if the owner of the drugs returned.

1. A Cold War Bunker

Close to 10 years after Ken Zwick and Carol Hollar-Zwick bought their Wisconsin home, they found and opened a metal door in the ground. The door led to an underground bunker that was built in the 1960’s.

When they went inside, they found enough food to last a family two weeks underground. There was also clothing, tools, batteries, flashlights, and medical supplies.

When they made the discovery, they reached out to the Neenah Historical Society. The family agreed to donate the contents of the bunker to the historical society who put them on exhibit in a model of the bunker found in the family’s backyard.