An Arizona man has been accused of shoving his father’s body into an unplugged freezer and keeping it in his backyard for years.
Joseph Hill Jr., 51, was detained last week at his father’s Tempe house on a number of counts, including failing to report a death and concealing a dead body.
According to charge documents, Hill allegedly let Joseph Hill Sr’s remains to rot inside the appliance for years because he was afraid of losing his home if authorities discovered his father’s death. At one time, the freezer remained unplugged and powerless for four to six months.
Tempe Police said they got an online tip last week that Hill was keeping his deceased father in a stand-up freezer in the rear of his home.
When cops arrived, the 51-year-old allegedly stated that his father died in Oregon four years ago.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by CNN, Hill refused to allow officers to investigate the freezer, which was covered with tarps and blankets.
According to court documents, investigators were unable to locate Hill’s father’s death certificates, but instead discovered documentation indicating that Hill Sr. was still the property’s owner. According to authorities, Hill Sr.’s social security benefits were collected until March 2023.
Days later, detectives went to the property with a search warrant, and Hill’s “demeanor began to change,” according to court records.
Hill then allegedly stated that there was “something in the freezer.”
According to the probable cause statement, he informed investigators that he intended to bury his father in a parcel of land on a property he purchased near Strawberry, Arizona.
According to the records, Hill stated that he did not inform authorities of his father’s death because he was not on the deed to the Tempe property and was concerned about losing the home.
He stated that he had lost electricity in both the Strawberry and Tempe properties due to fires, forcing him to move the freezer around.
Hill also allegedly planned to bury his father in the desert but stated there were “always people out there,” according to court filings.
When detectives opened the freezer, they discovered layers of tarp, blankets, saran wrap, two ratchet straps, duct tape, and “extensive amounts of biological matter,” according to the records.
According to the Tempe Police Department, the remains were brought to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office for confirmation of identity. “Police cannot confirm Joseph’s father’s death until the remains are confirmed,” police stated in a statement.
Hill is currently being jailed on a $25,000 bond. The preliminary hearing is slated for November 4.