An employee at American casual dining chain Chili’s is now leading the search for the family of a man whose remains were discovered outside her restaurant last Sunday. Elizabeth Confer, who works in the Niagara Falls region of upstate New York, was arriving for her shift when she spotted a box labelled “Edwin Karkos” near the entrance. She soon realised that the box was filled with cremated human ashes. 

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According to a report by Fox News, both Confer and her manager contacted the local police department, who have requested that anyone with information concerning the ashes come forward so that Karkos’ family can be contacted. The director of a nearby, no defunct funeral home, whose label was attached to the box, has also been reportedly been contacted by police. 

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In addition to the efforts of local law enforcement, Confer herself is lending a hand. Taking to social media, she issued a plea for information on behalf of the family, writing:

“I’m seeing if any of my friends on here know the family of a guy who passed away about 7 years ago I came to work today and found a box of ashes of any one knows a guy or family of EDWIN KARKOS to please get ahold of me and I can get them to the ashes ! I know the day he passed away to confirm if need be. Please feel free to comment share and help me find them! This post is public so hopefully the family can see this. Thank you for helping”

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Speaking to Fox News about the discovery of Mr Karkos’ remains, Confer revealed that, "I happened to see it when I was walking in, you could not miss it or what was written on it," before adding, "I hope that the family will get the box back and find out who actually left it." Though Confer claims to have been put in contact with a few promising leads, the investigation remains, for now at least, ongoing.

This article originally appeared on twistedfood.co.uk

Trigger warning: This article contains details and information that some readers may find distressing.

A missing man was found dead after a gruesome freak accident involving frozen food.

In June 2023, Barry Griffiths, from Wales in the United Kingdom, passed away after accidentally knifing himself while separating frozen burgers, the Western Telegraph reported.

Authorities were called to the Griffiths' home in his first-floor apartment in Llandrindod Wells, Powys, after concerns that he had not been seen for over a week.

A man from Wales died after an accident with frozen hamburgers. Credit: Steve Cicero/Getty

However, what was supposed to be a casual welfare check turned into the gruesome discovery of a dead body when police broke down the door and discovered the 57-year-old on the floor of his home, with pools of blood trailing his kitchen, hallway, and bedroom.

Griffiths was found lying on his bed, fully clothed, with a gory injury to his stomach.

His phone, wallet, and computer remained where they were supposed to be and there were no signs of forced entry into the building.

After further investigation, it was confirmed that the man had died due to blood loss via a sharp force injury.

Griffiths had allegedly been trying to separate the frozen burgers with a knife when he stabbed himself in the stomach, as revealed during an inquest earlier this year.

Patricia Morgan, a coroner had added that he had previously suffered from a stroke which led to a reduced mobility in one of his arms that could have potentially led to this accident.

Griffiths' body remained in his apartment for several days after his death with Morgan noting that he "[had a] relatively private life with limited contact with others," which was why it took over a week for police to conduct a wellness check, as per Fox News.

Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Rees, who was the senior investigator assigned to the case, reviewed all the evidence before giving his verdict.

"My thought process favored the wound had been caused by an accident solely involving Mr. Griffiths. The bottom drawer of the freezer had been left open and pulled forward in a position to access food items," Rees said at the time of the inquest. "On the work surface in the kitchen adjacent to the fridge freezer were two uncooked burgers, a knife, and a tea towel."

He also added: "The wound to the abdomen would have been approximately the height of the work surface. My hypothesis at that stage was that Mr. Griffiths was attempting to separate frozen burgers using a knife."

The officers working on the case expressed their condolences to the family, stating that it was a "traumatic" experience to have to re-live the way their loved one had died.

"I appreciate the evidence is difficult to hear and traumatic," Morgan said. "Thank you for your patience while the investigation was ongoing. I express my condolences at this difficult time."

Our thoughts continue to go out to anybody impacted by this tragedy.

Featured Image Credit: Mireya Acierto/Getty

The remains of Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada, a supermarket employee who vanished a decade ago, have been tragically discovered in a startling location within the No Frills Supermarket in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Murillo-Moncada, 25 years old at the time of his disappearance on November 28, 2009, was reported missing by his parents after he left their home during a snowstorm following an argument and never returned.

For ten years, his whereabouts remained a mystery until January, when contractors tasked with dismantling the supermarket, closed for three years, uncovered his decomposing body wedged in an 18-inch gap behind a freezer, the Des Moines Register reports.

Authorities initially suspected the body had been there for a considerable period. Council Bluffs Police Sergeant Brandon Danielson recalled that Murillo-Moncada was immediately considered upon the discovery of the body.

Following forensic analysis and DNA testing, recently confirmed to belong to Murillo-Moncada through comparison with samples from his parents, the investigation revealed no signs of foul play.

The autopsy concluded that Murillo-Moncada's death was accidental. Police theorize he entered the store after the argument with his parents, climbed atop a freezer, and fell into the narrow space behind it, approximately 12 feet below.

Former employees corroborated that climbing on the freezers for storage purposes was not uncommon, and the noise from the machinery could have masked any calls for assistance.

"It's so loud there's probably no way anyone heard him," explained Sgt. Danielson.

Shoppers also recalled a persistent foul odor inside the store over the years, potentially linked to Murillo-Moncada's remains.

One person wrote on Facebook: "I shopped there all the time and it smelled horrible! I even asked the butcher one time if the back area was dirty with dried blood from cutting the meat and he said no it was really clean. It smelled for a long time!"

With these findings, the police have closed the cold case investigation into Murillo-Moncada's disappearance, shedding light on a decade-long mystery that tragically ended within the confines of the supermarket where he once worked.

Featured image credit: Council Bluffs Police Department

In a heartbreaking revelation, the recently discovered human remains found inside of a Colorado home have been confirmed to be those of 16-year-old Amanda Leariel Overstreet.

Back in January, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado responded to a call at a residential home which had recently been purchased by new owner.

The remains were found at a newly sold Colorado property. Credit: KKCO

The Sheriff's Office revealed in a statement on Friday that officers made the horrific discovery of "the head and hands of a human" inside of a freezer that had been discovered by somebody who had "arrived to claim the free appliance offered by the new owner of the recently sold home".

The property is located near Grand Junction, per NBC News.

Fast forward to October, and officials have identified the remains, revealing that they belonged to 16-year-old Amanda Leariel Overstreet, who was last seen in April of 2005.

Authorities have confirmed that Overstreet was the teenage daughter the home’s previous owner, and that her death is now being treated as a homicide. DNA analysis was used to help identify the remains.

An investigation is ongoing.

The remains were found in a freezer that had been listed for free online. Credit: mbbirdy / Getty

"The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain under investigation, as well as ongoing forensic testing of evidence," the Sheriff’s Office said in its statement. "There is no record that Amanda Overstreet was ever reported missing."

Horrifically, the rest of the teenager's remains are yet to be discovered.

Additionally, no cause of death has been reported at this time.

Officials stressed on Friday that the new owner of the property is "completely unrelated" to the case, and that the property had been "purchased, fully remodeled, and sold to the current owner".

Wendy Likes, public information officer for the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, told CPR News that, "We still have a lot of forensic testing that we need to do on evidence and a lot of interviews still to complete".

"Give us some time and some grace to really figure out what happened and we want to do the best job for her," Likes said. "A child went missing and there's no record that anyone reported her missing, and that's very sad. So we want to be sure that it's a thorough investigation, that we get all the details and the facts right."

CPR News reports that county property records state that the home was previously owned by Bradley David Imer, who died in 2021. Imer’s death certificate, which was included in the county’s property records, lists his spouse as Leanne Overstreet. 

Officials are yet to specifically confirm the relationship between Leanne Overstreet and the victim, Amanda Overstreet.

Featured image credit: mbbirdy / Getty

An 83-year-old U.S. Navy veteran suffering from dementia was found dead inside a walk-in freezer at a Florida assisted living facility after his daughter noticed he was missing from his room.

William Eugene “Gene” Ray, a father of two and retired Navy serviceman, had been living at the Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Trinity, Florida. His daughter, Kristen Spencer, said she had grown increasingly worried about her father’s worsening dementia over the summer, and installed a Ring camera in his room to help monitor him remotely.

“You put your loved one in there with trust,” Spencer told Fox 13.

Daughter discovers her father is missing

Spencer said her father’s health had declined noticeably since moving into the facility in May, but she trusted that the trained staff would keep him safe. That trust was shattered on September 26, when she checked her Ring camera and noticed something was wrong.

“The light was on, but my dad was not in his room,” she recalled.

When she reviewed the footage, Spencer saw her father leaving his room around 12:30AM and never returning. Alarmed, she called her mother, who immediately contacted the Waverly staff. A few hours later, Spencer received the call that would change everything.

“She [the staff member] said, ‘We found him,’” Spencer recounted. “But then the next words out of her mouth were, ‘He’s in the freezer.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean he’s in the freezer?’”

Police: no signs of foul play

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, preliminary findings suggest there were no signs of foul play in Ray’s death. However, the circumstances surrounding how an elderly dementia patient managed to access a restricted freezer area remain under investigation.

Spencer said there had been “no major issues” with her father’s care before the incident, but admitted that “little things” had begun to raise red flags in recent weeks, according to the New York Post.

“If we had not called the facility, when would they have found him?” she questioned. “When you have vulnerable people in a place, you have to secure these areas.”

Facility responds to outcry

In a public statement, the Waverly Assisted Living and Memory Care facility expressed its devastation over the tragedy and defended its staff, urging the public to avoid spreading misinformation online.

“Our community is deeply saddened by this heartbreaking loss,” the statement read, via PEOPLE. “We are truly proud of our staff’s immediate response and grateful for their continued compassion, dedication, and professionalism.”

The facility emphasized that this was an unprecedented incident in its years of operation, adding: “We remain confident in the high level of service, comfort, and care we provide our residents.”

A life of service remembered

William “Gene” Ray joined the U.S. Navy at age 17, serving for 36 years before retiring with honor, as per his obituary. After his military service, he continued to contribute to his community by working in land surveying and later with the Florida Department of Transportation in Bartow.

Friends and family remembered him as a devoted father, veteran, and friend who brought joy to everyone around him.

Now, his loved ones say they are seeking accountability and changes in elder care safety protocols — to ensure no other family experiences such a devastating loss.

Featured image credit: Google Maps.