A man who was hoping to find some valuables in a random storage unit was, instead, left with the bodies of a murdered family.
Back in 1992, George Gennai purchased the storage unit near Seattle, US, with the intention of finding some hidden gems.
Expecting to find a heap of unwanted belongings, Gennai wondered why the paid-for unit had been untouched for 12 years.
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Eventually deciding to take a look, he clipped open the lock and raised the doors to start digging.
After getting inside, he noticed some heavy plastic covering the contents of the unit.
Along with a three-feet thick layer of old clothes, Gennai started whiffing up an awful smell.
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After reading the headline, you can guess how this ends.
While continuously looking for clues, the poor man soon discovered a large bin bag - containing a human skull.
Obviously, he alerted the police straight away.
Eventually, the medical team were able to identify the bodies of 36-year-old Barbara Bender and her two sons, who had been missing for 12 years.
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Bender, along with 15-year-old Mark and eight-year-old Brian, had been killed by blows to the head.
Police also found a hatchet with blood and hair on it inside the locker.
Barbara had filed for divorce from her husband the day before she disappeared and was last seen loading up a van.
The police investigation immediately turned to her husband Mark.
He was the person who had rented the locker, though it only came to light after his second wife stopped paying for it.
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Mark was arrested and eventually confessed to the murders, receiving three life sentences for the three counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to at least 80 years.
Speaking about the gory scene that he discovered, Gennai said: "I was in Vietnam, I've seen this before."
The news of Barbara’s discovery - while tragic - did offer some comfort to her mother, who had spent 12 years not knowing what happened to her or whether she was alive or dead.
She had thought that maybe her daughter had entered a witness protection programme and was unable to contact them, until her body was discovered.
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Bette Jones said: "I've been waiting for word from her so long.
"But at least this is better than not knowing what happened to her."
Barbara’s cousin, Mangen, added: "Now at least they can be buried and rest in peace.”
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images