Mike F. Strong

A spooky reality show recently got a little creepier when the featured “ghost hunters” discovered an actual human skull on the site of an abandoned hotel they were investigating for “paranormal activity.”

Paranormal researchers Danny and Felicity Duffy reportedly stumbled upon the remains early while exploring the grounds of an abandoned hotel in the town of Bolton, UK, for their YouTube Channel, “Exploring With Danny.” An initial account of the incident indicated that the couple was aghast by what they had found and quickly phoned the police to inform them of the discovery, but the video they actually uploaded of the incident tells a somewhat different story.

The pair uploaded a video to their site, showing the unsettling experience from their perspective. After reflecting on being at the center of such a strange event, they cut to footage from the investigation, which culminates with the pair spotting a camouflage jacket on the ground and then noticing a skull nearby.

Danny is at first shocked by the discovery and seems about to lose it. But he then regains his composure and makes what was probably an unwise decision. After donning a pair of gloves, he actually picks up the skull, examines it, and then displays it to the camera.

As you continue to watch the video, you can see that once they realize the impact of what they have found, it dawns on Danny’s partner that as an “investigator,” he should have known better and not disturbed the macabre discovery, which could very likely be a crime scene!

You can hear her declare, “you shouldn’t have moved it. Put it back, put it back. We have to ring the police. This is foul.” Then you can see the embarrassment in the moment it washes over Danny how stupid a move picking the remains up was, and he carefully puts the skull back in the spot they found it. Kind of like the way your kid will carefully put a broken lamp back upright in the living room, hoping you won’t notice!

Eventually, you can see the pair call the police, who arrive on the scene and take charged of the situation. At this point, authorities have confirmed that remains are that of a human – though no more details have yet been released.

Ghostbusters Trolled for Their Foolishness and Disrespect of Human Remains

The duo has received quite a bit of online backlash for both posting the video, which some have seen as exploitative, and their spur-of-the-moment showcasing of the skull before calling the police, which is presumably the act of disturbing a crime scene.

Speaking to the London newspaper the Daily Mail, a former police officer turned private detective said officers would not have wanted the pair to touch the remains before their arrival.

While some viewers expressed sympathy for the pair, others appeared shocked that they had decided to pick-up the skull.

One viewer commented: ‘Danny put it down and call the cops bro!!’

Another said: ‘Why would you pick it up? You could clearly tell it’s a skull without touching it.

One viewer also criticized the pair for posting the video, saying, “I can’t believe you have posted this or that the police have allowed you to. If this was a family member or friend of mine, I would be distraught that you had put this all over the internet.”

In response to the former criticism, Danny was unmoved, telling the YouTube commenter that “people die every day, that’s the facts of life, get over yourself.”

Detectives say inquiries are underway to ascertain how the skull came to be in the area. When it comes to whether the pair will actually be charged with anything such as “disturbing a crime scene,” while police were probably displeased with what they had done, the pair probably won’t get into any legal trouble over the matter as it would seem that the skull had been there for quite some time.

Detective Inspector Debbie Hurst, of GMP’s Bolton CID, said, “By the very nature of this discovery, we do understand some concern in the community and of course the sheer intrigue that this investigation brings with it. However, we are confident that there is no threat to the public and that this isn’t currently linked to any other ongoing investigations.”

However, Hurst did ask that anyone in the public who may have information relating to the grisly find come forward.