Editor's note: A version of this story has been changed to list the correct name of the farm Robert Rea owns.

When Columbiana County Sheriff Brian McLaughlin was called to investigate the death of a Salem Township man in a home on the property of a local farm market, he quickly learned this wasn't going to be a traditional investigation.

On January 2, Sheriff McLaughlin was notified that Robert Rea, 70, owner of Nettle Creek Farm & Nursery in the 34000 block of Salem Grange Road, had died inside the family home by his son.

However, the sheriff wasn't prepared for the rest of the story. Rea's son told the Sheriff's Department there would also be another body inside the family RV.

After arriving at the home at the farm and nursery, officers could not reach anyone at the residence and began to search the 40-acre family farm.

Sheriff McLaughlin and another officer located a camper behind a barn in the rear of the property and entered the RV.

Inside, officers found the body of a dead female, believed to be Rea's wife, Peggy, who had died six years prior.

According to the police report, the couple's son, John Rea, 29, told officials that his father died on December 31 and had been living inside the trailer with the body of his dead wife, who he said died in 2017. The report said that Robert had been taking care of her remains himself. The report listed Peggy's birth year as 1953.

The sheriff told 21 News that when they located the body of Peggy Rea, it was wrapped in a blanket, was surrounded by herbs, and was unusually well-preserved for the length of time she had been dead.

"I've been doing this for almost 34 years and never seen anything like it," Sheriff McLaughlin said. McLaughlin added, "I have never seen a body that has been gone that long and still that intact. We've had bodies that have been gone for much, much less time and had next to nothing left."

According to the report, John Rea, who knew of his mother's death,  told the officers that his parents were devout Quakers, a religious lifestyle rather than a set of beliefs, and, according to the report, wanted to be buried at the same time.

While Robert Rea's cause of death was believed to have been from natural causes, the sheriff's department called in the Columbiana County Coroner's Department. The bodies were then sent to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners for a cause of death and an approximate date of death for Peggy.

Officers took an audio statement from the couple's son and obtained a cheek swap for DNA testing from John Rea.

The Sheriff's Department is still investigating the case and has yet to determine if any charges will be filed.