An antique shopping fan has been left gobsmacked after purchasing what she thought was an "innocent" leather-bound book from the 1800s - only to find it was actually hiding a creepy secret.
Christina Dyer said in a viral video that she had bought the small brown book, which was believed to date back to the Victorian era, from someone on the internet, and shared a glimpse at one of the first pages.
The page clearly showed that someone had written the date as being 1862, and neat cursive writing also seemed to indicate that the book was addressed to a woman named Julia.
But as Christina delved further into the pages of the book, she made a rather unsettling discovery - as there was human DNA included in the tome in the form of several locks of human hair that had been tucked away inside folded scraps of paper.
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Each piece of paper was folded into an envelope shape and had names and dates written on the front, all of them dating back to the 1800s.
In her video - which was posted on her TikTok account @thedyerghoulhouse - Christina wrote: "Me, innocently buying an antique book off the internet.
"Finding multiple pieces of human hair from the 1800s inside."
She then asked in the clip's caption: "Question is, what do I do with them?"
Commenters were quick to point out that at the time the hair was saved, it was common practice to keep pieces of your hair to give to loved ones, or for parents to keep some hair from their child if they had passed away.
One person said: "That was a common thing to do in that time, to preserve that person's memory, or they gifted a piece of their hair as a sign of affection."
While another added: "Back in the day was kind of meaningful to give pieces of your hair to your loved ones."
And a third wrote: "They used to collect hair from children who died to remember them by."
While the practice might have been common back in the day, it certainly isn't these days - and some commenters couldn't help but think that the locks of hair were left by a "serial killer".
Someone said: "Not me screaming CALL THE POLICE and immediately thought about some serial killer."
As someone else noted: "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling."
Christina - who also posts on Instagram at @thedyerghoulhouse - later told The Mirror that the book and the hair contained inside it is not a trophy from a serial killer, as she has since tracked down members of the family to ask them about their relatives and states that "nothing sinister happened".
Do you have a strange antique with an interesting story? Get in touch with us at zahna.eklund@reachplc.com .
