Grandmother's body found in Clearwater storage unit

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Authorities removed the body of a Clearwater grandmother from a storage unit Thursday afternoon. Investigators say the family had stored her body there for more than a decade.

Police cruisers and crime scene tape surrounded U-Stor Self Storage, on Lakeview Road, after managers found a casket.

Joelle Castelli is with the City of Clearwater Communications.

"They had a tenant that was behind on their rent and they had given them all the proper notice and warning and told them that they were going to go into the unit and and then sell it at auction," she said.

That's when the tenant, who authorities say was having money problems, contacted them.

"She said, 'you can't sell my stuff at auction. My grandmother is in that storage unit,'" Castelli said.

Authorities say managers went inside the unit, saw the casket and called police.

Officials said the coffin had been inside since 1995.

The grandmother's daughter, who also passed away, put her there.

"She was properly prepared. Properly embalmed and prepared. Just not properly disposed of with a cemetery," Castelli said.

Syvia Mitchell, who has a business next door, saw authorities on the property. 

"It was very odd. It was very strange. You don't hear that nowadays. I just felt some chills and it was not very nice," Mitchell said.