Leslie Harvey was in for a shock when he decided to renovate his mother’s house while she was in the hospital. The taxi driver, wanting to freshen up his childhood home as a kind gesture, made a startling discovery in a cupboard at the top of the stairs. Hidden among clothes, he found the mummified remains of a lodger who had been locked inside for twenty years.
The incident unfolded at 35 West Kinmel Street in Rhyl, North Wales, where Leslie’s 65-year-old mother, Sarah Jane Harvey, came under suspicion of murder. The house quickly became a scene of investigation, with police, forensic experts, pathologists, biologists, and the local coroner involved.
Living nearby with his wife and young son, Leslie had long been curious about the nearly 7-foot-tall storage unit on the landing. Initially believed to contain items left behind by former wartime tenants, the cupboard held a gruesome surprise for Leslie on May 5, 1960, when he uncovered the mummified body.
The body, found in a state of mummification due to the conducive conditions in the deep cupboard, had been preserved over the years. Mrs. Harvey, recovering in a nearby hospital, eventually identified the body as that of former tenant Frances Alice Knight.
Mrs. Knight, estranged from her husband and receiving a weekly allowance, had rented a room from Mrs. Harvey during World War II. Mrs. Harvey explained to the authorities that she found Mrs. Knight dead one night in 1940, and out of uncertainty, concealed the body in the cupboard while continuing to collect the lodger’s allowance for years.
The mystery of the “Mummy in the Cupboard” captured global media attention. Medical experts had to treat the mummified body before conducting an internal post-mortem, which revealed marks suggesting strangulation. Mrs. Harvey was acquitted of murder charges but found guilty of fraudulently obtaining money, leading to a 15-month prison sentence.
Released from prison, Mrs. Harvey moved to a care home where she later succumbed to cancer. The unresolved questions surrounding Mrs. Knight’s death continue to intrigue the residents of Rhyl, with the bizarre case leaving a lasting impression on those involved.