The shocking reason why a son allegedly hid his dad’s corpse in a backyard freezer for four years has been revealed.
On October 22, the Arizona Police Department was informed that Joseph Hill Jr., 51, could be hiding a body in his garden, as reported by ABC 15 Arizona.
When authorities arrived at the property near McClintock Drive and Baseline Road, the man refused to let them go near the freezer but detectives kept pushing, eventually securing a search warrant.
Investigators returned to the property four days later. They broke through duct tape, Saran wrap, blankets, and tarps sealing the appliance, which led to a grim discovery: the skeletal remains of a human body, believed to be the man’s father, inside a heavily wrapped freezer.
Hill came clean and told cops that he’d bought the freezer after his dad, Hill Sr., passed away four years ago, per the outlet. He claimed that he moved the freezer over the past few years and had planned to bury his dad in the desert or a land plot in the tiny community of Strawberry, per Law and Crime.
As per the outlet, the man didn’t report the death as he feared that he would lose the home, which his dad had lived in since it was built in the 1960s, as his name was not on the deed.
Cops also found out that Hill continued to cash his father’s social security checks until March 2023.
One neighbor spoke out about the terrifying discovery, telling local outlets: “His dad was frail, and he could barely walk… He was sick a lot,” cited by The New York Post.
Another called the incident “shocking,” and added: “That’s nuts. You just never know. That’s why you should always know who your neighbors are,” per FOX 10 Phoenix.
Hill was arrested by cops and has been charged with one count of abandoning or concealing a dead body – a class five felony – and one count of failure to report a death, a class two misdemeanor.
He was booked into Maricopa County Jail with a cash bail set at $25,000. He did not appear to be in custody last Tuesday, Metro reported.
An autopsy is being conducted on the remains, which have not been identified yet, police disclosed to AZ Central. A cause of death has not been determined.
The man’s preliminary hearing has been scheduled for November 4.
