10 Disturbing Details Surrounding Bruce Andrew Roberts, Who Killed An Intruder And Lived With His Corpse For 15 Years

6 /10 Crypt Of Trash

Roberts’ home was filled from floor to ceiling, in some places, with rubbish. What short time he spent outside was to bring things back.

He mostly got items delivered so he wouldn’t have to, especially as he got on in years.

Snellman’s body was hidden in a spare room full of boxes, trash, and air fresheners to cover the smell of the corpse as it decayed.

He kept that habit up for long enough that the body dried out before he ran out of fresheners.

5 /10 Second Death

Roberts died in 2017 of natural causes. A doctor’s visit preceded his death in May of that year, where he was diagnosed with hypertension, varicose veins, and complaints of chest pains.

He refused treatment, went home, and a few weeks later, his neighbors noticed that they weren’t seeing much of him. Even less than usual.

They called emergency services, who broke down the door and found Roberts laying over a bar heater, which had damaged his corpse but was not a factor in his death.

It was likely a heart or vascular condition. He was 60 years old.

4 /10 The Long Dig

Once authorities handled Roberts, the issue went up over the house.

It had to be cleaned out over many weeks to get it on the market to sell it. Nearly a year later, in May of 2018, the body of Snellman was discovered.

Not even the day Roberts died, or weeks after – a year. Paperwork had to get pushed around and labor needed to be arranged to remove the debris and rubbish from home.

When they found the body, the identity was immediately discovered. Snellman was still dressed and had his identification on his person.

3 /10 What Remained

Snellman was mummified – according to the coroner who autopsied his body.

It dried out and was in an advanced state of decay, with hardly any flesh left to rot.

It was in an open-air environment, surrounded by less-degradable materials like plastic or treated cardboard, for 15 years.

When it was discovered, the family – Shane’s sister Tracy Lee – was informed and fell straight to the floor in shock.

After almost two decades of not knowing what happened, the truth was unloaded on her like an overpacked closet.

2 /10 A Messy Mind

Hoarding is a compulsive habit associated with mental illness, which may have gone undiagnosed in Roberts for most of his life.

He was often described in poor light by his neighbors, and even his family distanced themselves from him.

The lack of socialization may have escalated paranoid thoughts in his mind, so when he killed Snellman, his reaction wasn’t to call the police who might intrude on his “sacred ground,” or they might cite it as offensive and demand he clear it out.

To avoid that and maintain his hoard, he added Snellman to it.

1 /10 The Last Rubbish

Roberts’ home was cleared out later in 2018. The body of Shane Snellman was returned to his family and commiserated properly. With his murderer dead, and fault unknown, they let things lie.

The house was sold for $2.01 million at auction, and the land was cleared for a vacant lot.

The last piece of trash Roberts left over, his very home is now gone, and all traces of the event have disappeared. That’s one way to take out the trash.