On July 1, 1951, one of St. Petersburg’s most enduring mysteries began when 67-year-old Mary Hardy Reeser (pictured) was found dead in her apartment on Cherry Street. The discovery stunned investigators and made headlines around the world.
When Reeser’s landlady entered the apartment that morning, she found little remaining except a pile of ashes, fragments of bone, a slippered left foot, and the metal springs of the easy chair where Reeser had been sitting. Surprisingly, much of the apartment showed only limited fire damage.
The unusual scene prompted years of speculation, with some suggesting Reeser had fallen victim to the mysterious phenomenon known as spontaneous human combustion. After an extensive investigation, however, the FBI and local authorities concluded the most likely explanation was that a dropped cigarette ignited her rayon nightgown. Combined with the body’s fat acting as fuel in what is now called the “wick effect,” the fire burned slowly over several hours.
Although investigators considered the case accidental, Mary Reeser’s death remains one of St. Petersburg’s most debated historical mysteries.
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