MISSION, Texas (Nora Salinas, KGBT) -- A new homeowner in Mission could not believe what was unearthed in her backyard on Tuesday morning. "It's just a crazy story because it's almost Halloween," said Deedee Oliveira, who lives on Elm Street. Oliveira recently purchased the home, and workers were in the middle of making full renovations in the backyard when they hit a hard object this October. "They called, and they let my dad know first that they found a box. And so my dad said, 'Okay, we'll move the box later so you can finish'," Oliveira said. What they discovered wasn't a box but something eerie. Oliveira walked to her backyard and couldn't believe her eyes as an old rusted coffin almost four feet long was dangling from a digging machine. "I'm like, 'A coffin? What do you mean a coffin," Olivera said. "I can't even explain it, it was huge, it had the handles. It was really rusted, and it had bags wrapped around it." Authorities were immediately called to the home. Detectives and a special crime unit with the Mission Police Department all rushed to investigate what was inside of the coffin. "They had seen little booties and pink little bears and then one of the guys said that he had seen bones," Oliveira said. She began thinking the worst. It wasn't until she spoke to a neighbor who knew the previous homeowners that he worries were put to ease. "My new neighbor told me that the people that used to live here had a funeral for a pet, but it was for a cocker spaniel and those are pretty small dogs. We were like wait, a dog can't possibly be in that large coffin," Oliveira said. The neighbor was right. Canine bones were found inside the coffin along with pictures of a dog. The coffin was buried next to a tool box with cat bones inside. "Thank God it was a dog and not human remains, if not I think I would've gone crazy," Oliveira said. Oliveira said the coffin and its contents were taken away by the city. She said feels sad for the people who lost their pet and understands that pet owners bury their beloved fury friends in their own backyards. "Who can say they have found a coffin in their backyard?" Oliveira said. Neighbors believe the coffin had been underground for nearly 30 years. Follow us on Twitter @Local12 and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!
