When authorities in Puno, Peru, approached three men drinking in a deserted park on February 25, 2023, they expected a routine public intoxication stop. What they discovered inside a red insulated food delivery bag instead made international headlines.
Tucked away within a thermal “Pedidos Ya” backpack meant for transporting hot meals was a centuries-old mummified human corpse folded into a fetal position. This is the factual account of a 26-year-old former delivery worker named Julio Cesar Bermejo, his highly unusual cargo, and the ancient traveler he affectionately called his “spiritual girlfriend.”
A Startling Discovery in a Delivery Backpack
Upon inspecting Bermejo’s cooler bag, police found a deceased human wrapped tightly in pale bandages. Bermejo claimed to the media that the mummy was named “Juanita” and that he considered the preserved corpse to be his spiritual companion.
According to statements he made to journalists, Bermejo kept the body in his bedroom, housed inside a box next to his television set. He told reporters that he slept beside the mummy and personally took care of it. On the day of his arrest, Bermejo had packed the ancient remains into his delivery bag specifically to show the mummified body to his friends at the local park.
The True Identity of the Ancient Remains
Bermejo claimed the mummy had been in his family for three decades. According to news reports, his father had originally purchased the historical artifact for approximately 500 United States dollars. However, when the Peruvian Ministry of Culture took custody of the remains for scientific examination, experts revealed that the mummy Bermejo called “Juanita” was actually a biological male.
The cultural ministry specialists determined that the individual was an adult male who had passed away at roughly 45 years of age. Physical measurements indicated the man stood just under 5.0 feet (1.52 meters) tall during his lifetime. Furthermore, the mummy weighed extremely little due to the dehydration process. The body was found preserved in a fetal position, which is a standard pre-Hispanic burial practice for the eastern region of Puno.
Custody and Cultural Heritage Protection
Further analysis conducted by the Ministry of Culture concluded that the mummified remains were between 600 and 800 years old. This chronological timeline securely places the individual’s life during the era of the Inca Empire. Mummification was a widely utilized practice in the southern Peruvian Andes long before any Spanish colonization occurred.
Peruvian laws strictly classify these ancient remains as a protected national cultural asset. Following the discovery in the park, police authorities immediately detained Bermejo and his two companions. Bermejo was subsequently placed under official investigation for possible crimes against Peru’s cultural heritage. The ancient mummy was officially and permanently confiscated by the government for historical preservation.