A Tempe, Arizona, man allegedly stashed his father’s corpse inside a freezer that sat in his backyard for several years to prevent reporting his dad’s death, fearing he may lose his house, according to police.
Tempe police said in a release that 51-year-old Joseph Hill Jr. was arrested last week and faces charges of concealing a body and failing to report a death.
Detectives with the department received a tip that Hill was hiding a body in the backyard freezer of his home in Tempe.
When officers first contacted Hill, he refused to allow officers to peer into the freezer, though he noted his father died four years prior, police said.
After receiving a search warrant, detectives returned to the property and discovered a freezer in the backyard that was covered in plastic wrap, duct tape and sheets. Once police obtained access to the freezer, they found skeletal remains.
In police records obtained by FOX 10 in Phoenix, police wrote that Hill told officers the remains belonged to his father, and he had them for over four years.
Detectives obtained the search warrant after they were unable to locate government records of Hill Sr.’s death.
The investigation also found property deeds that showed Hill’s father still owned the home and collected Social Security benefits until March 2023.
Hill allegedly told police he did not report his father’s death because he was afraid of losing the house — his name was not on the deed. He also reportedly told police he watched his father take his last breath over four years ago at a nursing home in Oregon, before putting his body inside the freezer.
Police said Hill confessed to trying to bury his father in the desert multiple times, though he was unsuccessful.
Neighbors told FOX 10 they last remember seeing Hill’s father in poor health nearly four years ago. They also said Hill grew up in the home, though often kept to himself.
Testing is currently being conducted on the remains, though until complete, police cannot confirm if they belong to Hill’s father.
Hill was charged with felony abandoning or concealing a dead body, as well as failing to report a death, which is a misdemeanor. His bond was set at $25,000 cash.
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