A retired Washington state woman got some unexpected news after calling a repairman to fix what she believed was a broken furnace.
The repairman told Velma Kellen, 73, that he was able fix the air ducts that seemed to be causing the problem, but he also told her that someone had been living underneath her house. The stranger apparently cut through the duct to get some of the heat.
"I was just amazed when he came in and told me," Kellen told KATU. "I couldn't believe it. I thought, golly sakes."
Kellen, a former caregiver, believes the crafty -- and apparently cold -- squatter came and went through her backyard, since she noticed the gate was often mysteriously unlatched, King 5 reports.
And then, there was the suspicious smell that often wafted through the home.
"I can't say marijuana," Kellen told King 5. "I don't know what marijuana smells like, but it was worse than cigarettes."
Yelm's veteran police chief Todd Stancil told the station he had never heard of a similar case in the small town, but said the news was "pretty concerning for most people who have crawl spaces."
In September, a woman in South Carolina was similarly shocked to discover an ex-boyfriend living in her attic. The single mother of five discovered the lurker after hearing bumping noises coming from above her bedroom ceiling.
Her old flame, whom she hadn't seen in 12 years, reportedly had been sleeping in her heating unit, spying on her through the vents and peeing in old Sonic cups.
Haus in den Vereinigten Staaten (Symbolbild) 

 In Yelm im Bundesstaat Washington hat ein Unbekannter über Monate im Kriechkeller der 73-jährigen Velma Kellen gewohnt. In seiner Behausung hatte er Alkohol und möglicherweise auch Marihuana konsumiert. Die Rentnerin wusste nichts von dem Mitbewohner, bis sie einen Reparaturdienst beauftragte, einen Defekt an der Heizung zu überprüfen. 

Der herbeigerufene Klempner kroch unter das Haus, und als er wieder hervorkam, teilte er mit: „Ich habe eine gute und eine schlechte Nachricht. Die gute: Ich habe die Leitungen repariert. Die schlechte: Jemand hat unter Ihrem Haus gelebt.“ Die Heizungsleitung war vorsätzlich durchtrennt worden, um die ungewöhnliche „Wohnung“ warm zu halten. Mehrfach hatte die 73-jährige Frau einen seltsamen Geruch wahrgenommen, sie sagte dazu: „Ich weiß nicht, wie Marihuana riecht, aber es roch schlimmer als Zigaretten.“

Ein Polizeisprecher äußerte sich, in seinen 18 Dienstjahren sei das nie vorgekommen. Es sei besorgniserregend für Leute, die ebenfalls einen solchen Hohlraum unter dem Haus haben.