An Arizona man faces charges for allegedly keeping the body of his dead father in a backyard freezer for four years.
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Joseph Daniel Hill Jr., 51, was arrested on charges of failing to report a death and concealing a body after authorities discovered that he had kept his father’s remains in a stand-up freezer at the back of a home in Tempe, Arizona, on Friday, October 25, according to police reports cited by CNN.
The residence where the body was discovered is registered as belonging to Hill’s father, Joseph Hill Sr.
Meanwhile, it is also the house where Hill was raised.
The freezer had reportedly been located in the backyard without power for a period of four to six months.
Hill allegedly informed the police that his father passed away at their home four years prior. He explained that he chose not to report the death because his father’s name was not included in the property deeds. Hill feared losing his home as a result.
According to court documents reported by CNN, police first visited the residence on October 22. This was after receiving a tip that Hill was storing his father in the freezer. During their visit, the defendant prevented them from examining the appliance. He asserted that his father had passed away four years earlier in Oregon.
Detectives assumed control of the case and discovered there was no official record of Hill Sr.’s death. However, they did find that his Social Security benefits had been collected consistently until March 2023.
Detectives Discover the Father’s Remains in the Freezer
Upon the detectives’ return with a search warrant on October 25th, Hill’s demeanor began to shift. Hill told detectives, “There was going to be something in the freezer.”
Detectives discovered the body in a skeletal state, accompanied by an “extensive amount of biological matter.” It had been secured with two ratchet straps and multiple layers of duct tape, saran wrap, bed sheets, two blankets, and a tarp, all found inside a freezer, according to police reports.
According to court documents per CNN, Hill informed police that he purchased the freezer the day after his father’s death. He also claimed he intended to use it to preserve his body for burial in a plot of land he had acquired in Strawberry, Arizona.
His plans reportedly shifted after a fire erupted at the property, resulting in a power loss that compelled him to return to Tempe with his father.
Hill told police that he also attempted to bury his father in the desert afterward. However, he told detectives that there were “always people there.”
A bond of $25,000 was established for Hill’s release.