Schoolboy finds mummified body while exploring abandoned house

The boy's mother said she was shocked when her son told her he had found a dead man

An abandoned house, unrelated to where a body was found by a young boy in Ohio (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

An “adventurous” schoolboy who was exploring an abandoned house in the US state of Ohio was given a shock when he discovered the mummified corpse of a man inside a closet.

The body had been hanging in the cupboard for five years, and was that of 53-year-old Edward Brunton, the authorities of Dayton, Ohio, suspect.

As the man was hanged by the neck, they believe his death was a suicide. Brunton bought the house in 2009. The coroner who dealt with the body believes he died shortly afterwards.

The authorities added that Brunton had a brother who lives nearby, but the man had not seen him since 2008.

Michelle McGrath, the boy’s mother, said her 12-year-old son is adventurous.

“My son came home and said he had gone into an abandoned house and he found a body. And I said, ‘Wait, what?” his mother Michelle McGrath told WHIO-TV reporters.

Harshbarger, the Montgomery County coroner, told CNN the find was “very unique”, as it is rare to find 5-year-old mummified remains.

Most neighbours said they had not seen the man who owned the house, which had such an overgrown lawn that neighbours called in the authorities to maintain it.

“I didn’t realize there was anybody in the house,” Alberta Ballard, who had lived in the adjacent house for 40-years and reported Bruton's garden to the authorities, told reporters.

Anyone who is struggling to cope can contact Samaritans on 08457 909090