An individual from Arizona was taken into custody last week for allegedly hiding his deceased father’s body in a backyard freezer for several years while continuing to collect his Social Security payments.
The Tempe Police Department received a tip on October 22 regarding potential human remains concealed in the yard of 51-year-old Joseph Hill, Jr., as reported by ABC 15 Arizona.
Upon arriving at Hill’s residence near McClintock Drive and Baseline Road, law enforcement officers were initially denied access to the freezer by Hill. However, detectives persisted and eventually obtained a search warrant.
A few days later, authorities forcibly opened the freezer, which had been securely wrapped with tarps, blankets, Saran wrap, and duct tape. Inside, they made a startling discovery – the skeletal remains of a human body, the news outlet stated.
Hill eventually confessed, admitting that he had purchased the freezer following his father’s death four years prior.
Concerned about losing the house that his father had inhabited since the 1960s, Hill refrained from reporting the death, according to ABC.
“His dad was frail, and he could barely walk,” a neighbor recounted. “He was sick a lot.”
Following his father’s passing, Hill stashed the body in the freezer and continued to cash his father’s Social Security checks each month until March 2023, CBS 5 News in Phoenix reported.
Hill also disclosed to authorities that he had relocated the freezer multiple times over the years with the intention of burying his father in the desert eventually.
However, he encountered people whenever he attempted to do so.
For the last six months, the freezer had been sitting outdoors without power, as per CBS.
Law enforcement charged him with concealing a body and failing to report a death, although additional charges may be forthcoming.
He is presently detained at Maricopa County Jail on a $25,000 cash bond, according to reports.
“It’s definitely shocking,” remarked a neighbor. “Especially when you have small children inquiring, ‘What happened at Joe’s house?'”
