Dead Nevada man's home filled with gold

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CARSON CITY, Nev., Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A Nevada recluse left behind a stunning treasure when he died this spring -- officials say they discovered $7 million in gold bars and coins in his home.

Walter Samasko Jr. died in his Carson City home in May. His body wasn't found until June after his neighbors complained of the odor emanating from the house. That's when the gold was found stored in his house and garage, the Las Vegas Sun reported Sunday.

Carson City Clerk Alan Glover used a wheelbarrow to schlep the gold, which included coins from Mexico, England, Austria and South Africa dating to 1872, to his truck for the trip to a safe location.

The newspaper said Samasko hadn't worked since 1968 and was living off his investments, which included stock accounts of $140,000 and $25,000.

"Nobody had any clue he was hoarding the gold," Glover said.

Samasko, whose age wasn't reported, had no will and did not appear to have any close relatives, though a first cousin, substitute teacher Arlene Magdanz, was tracked down in San Rafael, Calif.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God," she told a lawyer who was the first to give her the word about the treasure.