Finally revealed.
While working on a house in San Francisco, builders made a gruesome discovery. In the basement, they found a tiny, hermetically sealed metal coffin with a window in the lid. Through it, the workers caught sight of a small girl.
Eerily, her body was perfectly preserved. But that was just the start of the mystery, because no one knew who this girl was.
The coffin containing the body was handed over to the organization “Garden of Innocence” which, among other responsibilities, looks after the dignified burial of unidentified, dead children. Employees there got to work on researching who the girl could be. The remains were perfectly preserved and they soon found out that the plot of land where they were discovered had previously been a cemetery. When the cemetery was relocated, it seemed likely that she must have been left behind.
A thorough investigation soon revealed that she had probably been buried in 1876. With the help of cemetery records, researchers were able to identify the girl as Edith Howard Cook. And not only that: they even managed to trace some of her relatives. Peter Cook, 82, was amazed to hear news of his great-great aunt. Of course, it’s tragic that all those years ago she died of malnourishment, but nevertheless he was fascinated by the story and says he always looked forward to learning something new about his family. He was very moved by how much the employees at Garden of Innocence had taken upon themselves on Edith’s behalf.
Above all, Edith can now finally rest in peace. She has had to wait so long for her final resting place.
Now, she will be lovingly sent on her final journey. She gets a new coffin and a proper grave. And Peter gets a place where he can remember his relative.
People working at Garden of Innocence do a really important job. They show respect for the dead and give these children dignity in their final resting places.
In the following video, you can see the full story of this unique discovery:
