GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Inspectors were looking at the home’s foundation when they made the disturbing discovery.
Beneath the floorboards – in a hidden crawl space – they found jars filled with preserved human tongues.
WCJB reported the home was once owned by University of Florida professor emeritus, Dr. Ronald A. Baughman. Gainesville Police told 10News Baughman’s ex-wife still lives there.
She was having work done on the home, and the contractor notified the police after finding the jars. The news station said Baughman used to be a research pathologist who published studies in the 1970s and 80s.
Gainesville Police told WCJB detectives are investigating the possibility the preserved tongues are related to his work dating back to the 1960s. According to the department, it’s unclear if there is a crime to prosecute in this case based on laws from the time.
But this is not the first time officers in the college town have been called out after a gruesome find.
The Herald Tribune reported in 2002 a University of Florida neurology professor was fired and arrested after police found heads, brains, arms and other body parts preserved in Tupperware containers at his home in Gainesville.
Joseph James Warner told detectives he was conducting research at his home “including dissections of human and animal body parts,” according to the Tribune. He was charged with illegal storage and preservation of human remains – and the story made national headlines.
The Los Angeles Times reported later that year Warner pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a year of probation.
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