Police in Chengdu, Sichuan province, arrested a 73-year-old man for fabricating a viral hoax claiming a child was buried on an apartment rooftop. Forensic tests proved the remains were animal bones and fish teeth.
Tags:A bizarre story about a seven-year-old boy supposedly buried on the rooftop of a residential building in China has taken an unexpected turn after police discovered that the entire story had been fabricated by a 73-year-old neighbour.
The incident occurred in Jintang County, Chengdu, Sichuan province, and attracted widespread public attention after a homeowner discovered what she believed was a child's grave directly above her apartment.
However, what initially appeared to be a disturbing discovery involving human remains turned out to be an ordinary rooftop flower bed containing animal bones and fish teeth.
How the Story Began
The homeowner, identified only by her surname Li, purchased a second-hand apartment on the seventh and top floor of an older residential building in 2017.
Rather than living there herself, she had rented out the property for nearly nine years.
On October 4, 2026, Li was speaking with a neighbour when she was unexpectedly asked about a grave supposedly located on the rooftop above her living room.
According to the neighbour, a seven-year-old boy who once lived in the residential compound had died from an illness in September 2009 and had subsequently been buried on the building's rooftop.
Li was shocked. She had owned the property for years without knowing anything about an alleged burial site directly above her apartment.
Concerned about the claim, she decided to investigate.
Bones and Teeth Discovered on the Rooftop
When the area was examined, what looked like a burial site appeared to contain bones and teeth beneath soil, rocks, weeds and construction debris.
On October 5, at approximately 11:50 a.m., local police received a report concerning suspicious bones discovered on the rooftop.
Officers arrived to examine the location.
The suspected grave was actually a rectangular flower bed in a shared rooftop area. It measured approximately 3.5 metres long and 2 metres wide, with a soil layer around 20 to 30 centimetres thick.
During their examination, officers discovered several bone fragments, including two fragments containing teeth.
However, investigators noticed that the site had none of the usual indications of a burial.
There was no gravestone, coffin, urn, incense, ritual paper or other evidence suggesting that anyone had been buried there.
Despite these observations, police collected the remains for scientific examination.
Homeowner Worried About Property Value
Li was particularly concerned because she believed the previous homeowner might have deliberately concealed important information about the property when selling it to her in 2017.
If a child's grave had genuinely existed above her living room, she felt that this could have influenced her decision to purchase the apartment.
She was also worried that the alleged burial could significantly reduce the property's value and make it difficult to sell in the future.
Li attempted to contact the former property owner to seek an explanation, but she reportedly could not reach them.
Meanwhile, videos and reports about the discovery spread rapidly across Chinese social media, attracting millions of views.
Many internet users expressed shock that a child could supposedly have been buried on top of a residential building.
Some questioned why a family would choose such an unusual location instead of a conventional burial ground.
Police Investigation Reveals the Truth
On October 8, Jintang County police released their official findings, completely overturning the original story.
Forensic examinations confirmed that none of the recovered remains belonged to a human being.
The bone fragments were consistent with livestock or poultry, while the teeth were identified as pharyngeal teeth from fish.
Investigators also conducted a wider inquiry to determine whether a seven-year-old boy had ever been buried at the location.
Officers examined death registration records, household registration cancellations, previous police reports and information relating to former property owners.
They also interviewed residents and worked with community officials to investigate the alleged burial.
After reviewing the available evidence, police concluded that there was no factual basis for the story about a young boy dying in 2009 and being buried on the rooftop.
There was no child's grave.
73-Year-Old Neighbour Identified as the Source
The investigation eventually led police to a 73-year-old male resident of the residential compound, identified by the surname Liu.
According to authorities, Liu had fabricated the claim about a seven-year-old boy being buried on the rooftop.
His invented account had spread through the community and subsequently across social media, creating widespread misunderstanding and public concern.
Police determined that the false information had caused an adverse social impact.
Liu was subjected to an administrative penalty under Chinese law.
Although some reports described him as having been arrested or detained, the official police announcement confirmed an administrative punishment without disclosing the exact penalty.
Authorities also did not publicly establish why Liu invented the story in the first place.
Whether it began as an attempt to frighten a neighbour, an elaborate joke or something else remains unclear.
A False Story That Fooled an Entire Community
The incident highlights how quickly misinformation can spread, especially when a convincing story is accompanied by photographs, videos and apparent eyewitness accounts.
A homeowner who believed she had unknowingly purchased an apartment beneath a child's grave found herself at the centre of a nationwide online controversy.
Police spent several days examining the scene, testing remains, reviewing official records and interviewing residents.
In the end, the supposed human remains were animal bones and fish teeth, and the alleged child's burial was nothing more than a fabricated story.
Following the investigation, local police reminded the public to verify information before sharing it online.
The strange case ended not with the discovery of a forgotten child's grave, but with the punishment of a 73-year-old man whose invented story had fooled neighbours and attracted nationwide attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment