Girl clutching rose found entombed in a tiny coffin 145 years on

THE body of a perfectly preserved girl, who had lain inside a tiny coffin for more than a century, has been discovered by builders under a home in the US.

Builders renovating a San Francisco home were shocked to discover the coffin with the preserved body of a young girl inside. Picture: Facebook

BUILDERS renovating a house recoiled in shock as they uncovered a 145-year-old coffin — with the preserved body of a young girl inside.

According to The Sun, the owner of the property was told by police: “She’s your problem now.”

The site where the coffin was found was a one-time cemetery, which was moved in 1920. Picture: Facebook

Workers uncovered the one-metre-long windowed bronze coffin as they dug beneath the home on the outskirts of San Francisco.

To their astonishment the tiny casket revealed a child with perfectly preserved skin and blonde hair wearing a long white dress and still clutching a red rose.

The unmarked tomb — which was discovered on May 8th — was lined with purple velvet.

The girl — who has been given the name Miranda — is believed to be a three-year-old whose coffin was left behind when a cemetery on the site was moved to a different location in 1920.

Experts believe the casket was one of 180,000 that were buried at the Colma site.

Homeowner Ericka Karner bears no relation to the unidentified child, but she has now been told it is her responsibility to deal with the casket.

Incredibly, she was informed she needed to obtain a death certificate in order to bury the girl — and even then it would cost her $10,000.

Karner told the San Francisco Chronicle: “I understand if a tree is on your property, that’s your responsibility. But this is different. The city decided to move all these bodies 100 years ago, and they should stand behind their decision.”

In stepped Elissa Davey, the founder of a charity that helps to bury the bodies of unidentified children in the area.

In a post to the group’s Facebook page she explained it was hoped “Miranda” would finally be laid to rest in the coming weeks.

Elissa Davey, the founder of a charity that helps to bury the bodies of unidentified children, is raising money to get ‘Miranda’s’ remains laid to rest. Picture: www.gardenofinnocence.org

She wrote: “We are still in need of monetary donations as well as donations of flowers and rose petals especially.

“We are hoping for a service date first part of June in Greenlawn Cemetery in Colma, if we can get a burial permit.”

This story originally appeared in The Sun