News of the Weird: March 29, 2018

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I’m Not Dead Yet!

Constantin Reliu, 63, appealed unsuccessfully to a court in Barlad, Romania, in March to overturn a death certificate that his wife had obtained after not hearing from him for more than a decade. According to The Guardian, Reliu left Romania for Turkey in 1992 to look for employment, but neglected to keep in touch with his family thereafter. In 2003, Reliu’s wife, believing he had likely died, argued in court for a death certificate, which didn’t come to light until Reliu was deported back to Romania because of expired papers in Turkey. Upon his arrival, immigration officers explained to Reliu that he had died in 2003. Despite being very much not dead yet, Reliu’s court appeal to overturn his death failed (the court maintained that he was too late; the ruling is final). “I am officially dead, although I’m alive,” Reliu told Romanian media outlets.

Punctilious Primate

Louis, an 18-year-old male gorilla at the Philadelphia Zoo, appears to be something of a germophobe, according to the Associated Press. When he is carrying food, six-foot-tall Louis walks on his hind legs, like a human, rather than leaning forward on his front knuckles, as gorillas usually do. Zoo curator Michael Stern says workers installed a fire hose over a mud puddle in Louis’ yard, which he crosses like a tightrope to avoid getting his feet dirty. Stern says in the wild, gorillas may stand up on their hind feet to reach food or wade in a swamp, but only for a few seconds.

Planters Periodontics

Ravenna, Ohio, resident Nickolette Botsford was startled by what felt like an extra-hard cashew as she enjoyed some Planters nuts in early March. As she drove, she handed the object to her mom, who turned on the interior light in the car and realized it was a human tooth, with dried blood on it. “I got very upset, I was crying, I threw up two or three times,” Botsford told WOIO-TV. She went to a hospital, where doctors confirmed it was a human tooth and treated her for exposure to blood or bodily fluids. Botsford called Planters, and parent company Kraft Heinz sent a courier to pick up the tooth for testing. The company said it is investigating its manufacturing process and suppliers.

Who You Gonna Call?

A member of the Listowel Paranormal Society in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was surprised when police arrived at his door on March 13, inquiring about a small black box with a red wire protruding from it that had been left at Mackenzie Hall in Windsor. The Windsor Police Explosives Disposal Unit was called to the hall to investigate the box, but determined it was “safe” and not explosive. Society members had used the box three days earlier at the historic building to sweep for spirits. Jen Parker, assistant director for the society, called the box an EMF (electromagnetic field) sensor and said each team member carries one when they’re looking for ghosts.

Fast and Furious

Siblings Antoine Dorsey, 23, and Antoinette Dorsey, 27, of St. Louis cooked up a clever scheme to steal a car. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that on March 14, the two went to Joe-K Used Cars and asked to test drive a 2012 Dodge Charger. The salesman drove them off the lot, and the Dorseys asked him to drive to their apartment building so they could retrieve their IDs. In the parking lot of the apartment building, Antoinette got out of the car, an unidentified person drove up next to the Charger in a Volvo, got into the Charger, pulled out a gun and demanded the stunned salesman get out, which he did. The armed Charger bandit then got back out himself, went back to his Volvo and drove off. Meanwhile, Antoine jumped back into the Charger and sped away with his sister, leaving the salesman watching in disbelief. Antoine, however, soon crashed and flipped the Charger. Both siblings have been charged with first-degree robbery.

© 2018 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION