The Mummy Returned?
Egypt wants their mummy back from South Beach
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CHICAGO - MAY 25: The coffin of Tjuya, a non-royal in-law of Amenhotep is displayed with the touring exhibit of Egypt's King Tutankhamun at the Field Museum May 25, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. The King Tut exhibit, which opens to the public tomorrow, is on loan from Egypt, part of a four-stop U.S. tour. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Just in time for Halloween, a mummy story has surfaced in Miami. Well, in a federal courtroom anyway.
Federal prosecutors believe a mummy that wound up in Miami last year was illegally excavated from Egypt and then sold, so it should be returned to the Land of the Pharaohs.
The sarcophagus, believed to be at least 3,000 years old, belonged to an antique dealer in Spain before making the trip to Miami. Federal prosecutors filed court papers in Miami on Thursday to get the export process started.
We all would like to avoid that unsavory scenario when the mummy magically wakes up and wreaks havoc on South Beach. No one needs the undead ruining a good party - or a Brendan Fraser appearance.
Pretty much any tomb with hieroglyphics on it belongs to the Egyptian government, and since there are no pyramids on South Beach, it's hard for anyone else to stake a legal claim on the crypt.
Egyptian authorities say the sarcophagus was probably illegally excavated years ago. It's made out of wood and is yellow in color, covered by elaborate hieroglyphics and symbols. Prosecutors say it was constructed between 1070 and 946 B.C. for the mummified remains of an unknown person.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC 6 Miami
