Father and Son on Treasure Hunt Make Grim Discovery in Abandoned House

A father and son treasure-hunting team made a grisly discovery last weekend while searching through an abandoned home in Mississippi, WREG reported. 23-year-old Riley Bryant is an experienced adventurer. In 2022, he located Civil War-era bullets and a cache of other treasures along the Mississippi River.

Last Saturday, Bryant and his father, Chuck, along with a few friends, were metal detecting around a disused estate in Holly Springs, MS when something within one of the buildings caught their eye.

“We actually noticed through the window of the vacant building that there was something that didn’t look right on the floor in one of the back rooms,” Riley recalled.

The item in question was, in fact, a dead body. “We thought ‘This is strange,’ and determined it was definitely something we needed to report to the authorities,” Riley said.

The body was removed by investigators and taken to a nearby town for medical evaluation and autopsy. The person’s identity, gender, and cause of death are currently unknown. Riley believes the individual perished under tragic, accidental circumstances rather than as a result of foul play.

“He had taken stuff in the house, ripped the curtains down, towels, anything he could find had to kind of pile on himself to try to keep warm,” he surmised. “When you really look at it just gets sadder and sadder. This is not someone that was wandering around drunk or something. It was somebody that obviously wanted to live.”

Riley and Chuck stayed at the scene while the police removed the body and investigated the house, which took several hours. On the way home, according to Chuck, the two concurred that what they had just witnessed was a life-changing experience.

“We had some discussions on the way home and continued to talk about it, trying to deconstruct the whole thing and learn from it,” Chuck said. “Try to be a better person. Be aware of people that might be in need around you.”