Parting Shots: Woman's Accusatory Obituary Goes Viral

Most obituaries are written with warmth and tenderness, in an effort to honor the passing of a loved one. Families use the memorial as a way to reflect on the life of the person they have lost, reconciling their grief and coming to terms with a painful passing. Alternatively, they can be used to settle some family scores!

An obituary that appeared in the Tampa Tribune on Valentine's Day was obviously meant to do just that. The memorial to Josie Anello at first appeared just like any other, mentioning her name and age, and how she was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Vic Anello. At this point, the obituary takes a major detour into darker terrain.

The memorial continues: "She is survived by her Son, 'AJ', who loved and cared for her; Daughter 'Ninfa', who betrayed her trust, and Son 'Peter', who broke her heart." Hmmm...I wonder which one of the children wrote the obit?

Daughter Ninfa placed her own obituary honoring her mother in the paper the following day, minus any references to betrayals of trust or breaking of hearts. What is the cause of the animosity? Money (but of course). Basically, it boils down to the fact that Angelo (AJ), 63, and his sister, Ninfa Simpson, 65, accuse each other of stealing from their mother. Angelo says his sister used their mother's Social Security checks to go on vacation with her husband (to such destinations as Branson, Missouri, and Alaska). Ninfa says her brother maxed out their mother's credit cards and chipped away at her life savings. Both insist that the other's allegations are untrue.

One member of the family who doesn't have much to say about the ruckus is brother Peter, who has been estranged from the family for over 25 years. I'm beginning to see why...

Stuff Grandma in the Storage Unit: Dead Woman Kept in Storage Locker for 17 Years

A Clearwater, Florida, storage facility manager received quite a surprise when he discovered that one of his storage units had been used as a burial crypt...for more than 17 years!

Kevin McKeon of U-Stor Self Storage found out about the body after the renter fell behind on her payments for the unit. When he contacted the renter to inform her that the contents of the unit would be sold if she was unable to come up with the money, she told him he couldn't sell all the objects, as one of them was a coffin containing the remains of her long-departed grandma!

Initially, McKeon did not believe her story, feeling it was just a ruse to buy more time to come up with the money for the payment, so he didn't check on the unit until several days later, on Thursday. When he opened the door, he quickly discovered the renter was actually telling the truth, when he saw the long blue casket stored inside. He immediately contacted local authorities.

Police and investigators have since located the death certificate for the woman, who died in 1995 at the age of 94. The body was properly prepared for burial, authorities report. As of now, no charges have been filed against the renter of the storage unit.

Roll With It: Con Artists Arrested for Selling 70 Years Worth of Toilet Paper to Elderly

"When you really need me, I'm as good as Gold!"

A group of people in Florida have been arrested in a million dollar con operation involving an unlikely source... toilet paper!

The trio of suspects were arrested for conning their elderly victims into paying for decades worth of plain, ordinary bathroom tissue under the guise that new government regulations required a special type of toilet paper be used to help save their septic systems. The group claimed that the products they were peddling  lasted longer and would prevent damage to their septic tanks while helping save the environment. So far, police have found a dozen victims of the scheme, saying that the con artists had taken over one million dollars.

Victims were also falsely told that newly-imposed laws and regulations required that they purchase special soap and detergents or their bathrooms would not pass a government inspection. (The Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate septic tank products, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.) At least one of the victims had purchased a seventy-year supply of bathroom tissue from the group.

If convicted, the group face up to twenty years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud among other charges.

The Dog Ate My Car Payment: Couple's Dog Woofs Down $1000 in Cash

The old standard "Blame it on the dog" rang true for one Florida couple, when their beloved pet gobbled up an envelope of cash containing $1000!

Christy and Joe Lawrenson of St. Agustine, Florida, initially believed that a burglar had broken into their home when the wad of cash went missing. When Joe went to investigate, he discovered pieces of shredded $100 bills strewn across his living room floor like confetti! What he didn't find shredded on the floor was now inside the stomach of the couple's 4-year-old Labrador Retriever/Bulldog mix, Tuity!

It seems the capricious canine got a little hungry while Mommy & Daddy were away and decided to make the cash a mid-day snack! The money, which was to be used for the couple's car payment, was now digesting inside the family dog, along with the envelope and a paper clip. A quick thinking Joe gave Tuity some peroxide to induce vomiting. For the next several hours, Joe and Christy went to task digging through dog vomit in order to piece together the shredded bills.

Ultimately, they were able to salvage $900 from the pooch's tummy. The final $100 bill had too many serial numbers missing to be re-assembled, which they have sent to the Department of the Treasury. The Lawrenson's then took the masticated money to the bank, where they shared their strange tale with the tellers!

This isn't the first time the dog has eaten something strange. "When she was a puppy, I once saw her eat a cigarette," Mr. Lawrenson told a local newspaper. Next time, put the money inside a safe deposit box, Joe!!!

Joe & Christy Lawrenson with dog Tuity. Photo Credit The Daily Mail

The Swarm: Man Found Dead Inside House with Over 60,000 Bees

A 49-year-old Florida man was discovered dead by his daughter after he was apparently killed by a swarm of bees that had infested his home. Police and exterminators were summoned to the Miami home of the man after his frantic daughter called 911. Upon entering the home, a representative from the extermination company calculated that a colony of as many as 60,000 bees had made their nests within the walls of the house, which the deceased was in the process of renovating as a gift to his daughter.

A full investigation into the man's death is currently underway. Apparently, the man was attacked by a large swarm of the bees within his home as he was attempting to fog the insects out of a bedroom with a store-bought insecticide.

The death follows a spate of similar bee attacks this year throughout the Southern and Western parts of the United States.