Man allegedly kept his father’s decomposing body in a freezer to avoid losing his home, police say

TEMPE, AZ. (KPHO/Gray News) – A man in Arizona allegedly kept his father’s body stored in a freezer in his backyard for years because he didn’t want to lose the house.

Tempe police received a tip online that a man was storing his father’s body in a freezer behind a home.

When officers arrived, they spoke with Joseph Daniel Hill Jr., 51, who said his father died four years ago in Oregon.

Hill denied officers’ request to inspect the freezer in the backyard and the case was turned over to detectives for follow-up. KPHO reported.

Investigators used “extensive resources” to learn more about Joseph Hill Sr., but were unable to find any record of his death.

Detectives discovered that Hill Sr. was still listed as the owner of the home and had collected Social Security benefits through March 2023.

Detectives obtained a search warrant and returned to the home.

According to the documents, Hill Jr.’s demeanor changed and he told police “there would be something in the freezer.”

Once in the backyard, detectives removed a tarp, two moving blankets, several layers of plastic wrap, sheets, two ratchet straps, and several layers of duct tape from the freezer.

Inside, documents said police found skeletal remains and a “large amount of biological matter.”

After being read his Miranda Rights, the man allegedly told detectives he was there when his father “took his last breath” in the home more than four years ago.

He allegedly admitted to not reporting the death because it was not on the deed and he was afraid of losing the house.

After his father died, he bought the freezer the next day. He said he planned to bury it on land he purchased, however, he said there was a fire on the property and he lost power, so he eventually brought the freezer back to Tempe.

Documents say the freezer has since remained in the backyard without power for the past four to six months.

He was arrested and charged with one count of failure to report a death and one count of concealing a corpse.

It will now be up to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office to confirm whether the body is Hill Sr. and try to determine how he died.

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