A man allegedly hid his father’s corpse in a backyard freezer for years in order to keep cashing his Social Security checks.
Joseph Hill Jr, 51, reportedly would not let cops responding to a tip on October 22 of a dead body in the freezer get close to the appliance, according to ABC 15 Arizona.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the Tempe home and several days later broke through duct tape, Saran wrap, blankets and tarps that were sealing the freezer.
They made a grisly discovery inside: skeletal remains believed to belong to Hill’s dad.
The freezer had been unplugged for a few months, police said.
Hill told detectives that his dad died at home four years ago and that he bought the freezer to store the body inside.
He claimed that he moved the freezer on various occasions over the past few years and had intended to bury his dad on a land plot or in the desert, stated a police report.
Hill said he did not report his father’s death because he feared he would lose the home that was under the senior’s name. His dad had lived in the home near McClintock Drive and Baseline Road since it was constructed in the 1960s.
Meanwhile, Hill continued to cash his dad’s Social Security checks until last year.
Hill was arrested last Tuesday and has been charged with concealing a body and failing to report a death.
He has been booked into Maricopa County Jail with a cash bail set at $25,000.
Anyone with information on the crime is urged to contact the Tempe Police Department.
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