Last week police in Tempe, Arizona, made an awful discovery when they finally broke into the freezer of a local man, Joseph Hill. The man had stored his dead dad's corpse in a freezer to continue securing his Social Security checks.
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On October 22, the Tempe Police Department was tipped off by a neighbor that there may be a dead body hidden in Hill's house, according to ABC 15 Arizona. The police arrived to the house and attempted to gain entry, but Hill refused any claims and didn't let them enter.
They returned a few days later with a warrant to search the house, however, and got to work uncovering the outdoor freezer that was wrapped tight. Officers had to get through layers of tarps, blankets, Saran wrap, and duct tape before they could open the freezer.
Upon opening it, they found the remains of a human corpse.
Son Kept Fathers Body In Freezer To Keep The House
Hill admitted that he kept his father's body out of fear of losing the house as he was not on the deed, according to Fox 10 Phoenix. He was worried that reporting the body would lead to him losing the house. Cashing in his Social Security checks was another bonus.
CBS 5 News in Phoenix reports that Hill claimed his father's Social Security checks until March 2023.
The son never killed his father. He was already old and frail, and eventually died by natural causes. This spurred Hill into purchasing the freezer and keeping him hidden away.
Hill told the authorities that he had planned to bury him in the desert. Every attempt was foiled as there were "always people out there."
Despite not murdering his father, Hill will receive charges of concealing a dead body and failing to report a death. They say more charges could be forthcoming. He is currently booked in Maricopa County Jail on $25,000 cash bail.
His neighbors are distressed by this morbid secret.
"It's definitely shocking," one neighbor said, "Especially when you have small children asking, 'What happened at Joe's house?'"
"That's wild," another neighbor reported to Fox 10 Phoenix.
