Random Modern People Who Turned Into Mummies Before They Were Found (14 items)

(#14) A Mongolian Mummy Wearing Adidas?

In 2016, archeologists in Mongolia unearthed a 1,500 year old Turkik mummy, the remains of a Mongol woman buried with a number of items, including a fully grown horse. But what truly stood out was the straps of her shoes - they looked exactly like the distinctive stripes on the Adidas brand.
Obviously, a 1,500-year-old woman wasn't wearing 20th century shoes, so this is most likely a case of confirmation bias. Subsequent research has confirmed that this is not, in fact, a case of time travel, but is instead simply a case of coincidental “very modern” styling on the leather boots.
(#9) A Carved Up Mummy Man Was Found Beside A Road In Spain

A Spanish truck driver stopped along the side of a rural road and found a mummified body that was missing an arm and part of its torso.

Spanish police said the man, who was never identified, had been dead about two months.
(#2) Scientists Discovered Wasps, Bees, And A Squirrel Nesting Inside A Partially Mummified Man

This is a first. In Poland, researchers discovered a partially mummified body hanging 80 feet in the air from a tree. Scientists found honeybees, wasps, and even a squirrel taking up residence inside the man's body, which they believe went unfound for nearly 13 years. The woodland critters were found after researchers took the body to Wroclaw Medical University's Forensic Medicine Department. The body was uncovered in 2016, but it wasn't until September 2018 that researchers unveiled their findings in a study.

"No one before us had the opportunity to describe a case of nesting of these species of animals inside a human corpse found in a tree," said study author Marcin Kadej of the Institute of Environmental Biology at the university. "[It] brings a new perspective and gives us new information on the behavior, ecology and biology of these animals."
(#11) The Woman Who Drove Around With A Mummy In Her Car

A Costa Mesa, CA, woman drove for months with a mummified body in her passenger seat before the corpse was discovered by police. After finding the car parked in a high-end neighborhood, police found the former real estate agent, who wasn't identified, in the driver's seat, along with the mummy. The corpse was determined to be a transient named Signe Margit, a woman who had two master's degrees and had founded a non-profit before vanishing.

The driver, who was using her sick father's car, told police she was afraid she'd be blamed for the woman's death, so she simply piled clothes on it and waited for it to mummify.
(#1) The Mummified Children's Book Author

In May 2013, the mummified remains of author, activist, and teacher Barbara Salinas Norman were found inside her Santa Fe, NM, home. Authorities and family members believe that the body may have been inside the home for over a year. While once a renowned children's book author and civil rights activist, Salinas had become reclusive and suffered from financial and cognitive problems.

After two years of nobody in her family hearing from her, her brother-in-law entered the home and found her mummified remains. A preliminary autopsy revealed that Salinas had likely died of natural causes.
(#3) A Mummified German Sailor Was Found In A Yacht In The Philippines

In 2016, Filipino sailors were shocked to find a mummified corpse sitting at a desk in a yacht drifting off the coast of the island of Barobo. The man was later identified as German sailor Manfred Fritz Bajorat, who had been missing since 2009.

Bajorat was found with his hand just inches from a radio, indicating that he died attempting to call for help, possibly while having a heart attack.