Reason son left dad’s corpse in backyard freezer for years

A US man has been arrested after allegedly leaving his dead dad in a backyard freezer for three years.

An Arizona man was arrested last week for allegedly stuffing his dead dad’s corpse in a backyard freezer and leaving it there for years – as he continued cashing the old man’s Social Security checks.

The Tempe Police Department said it was tipped off on October 22 that there might be a dead body hidden in 51-year-old Joseph Hill, Jr.’s yard, according to ABC 15 Arizona.

When cops arrived at the home near McClintock Drive and Baseline Road, Hill wouldn’t let them go near the freezer – but detectives kept pushing, and eventually secured a search warrant, the New York Post reports.

Joseph Hill, Jr. allegedly stuffed his dead dad in a backyard freezer. Picture: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

When authorities went back a few days later, they busted into the freezer – which had been tightly wrapped with tarps, blankets, Saran wrap and duct tape – and found a shocking surprise: The skeletal remains of a human body, the network said.

Hill finally came clean and allegedly told police that he’d bought the freezer after his dad died four years ago.

He’d been fearful that he’d lose the house – which his dad had lived in since it was built in the 1960s – if he reported the death, ABC said.

The house in Tempe, Arizona where cops found the corpse. Picture: ABC 15

“His dad was frail, and he could barely walk,” one neighbour told the station. “He was sick a lot.”

After his death, Hill crammed his dead dad into the freezer and left it — but cashed his father’s social security checks every month until March 2023, CBS 5 Newsin Phoenix reported.

Hill also allegedly told the cops that he’d moved the freezer several times over the years, and eventually intended to bury his dad in the desert.

But each time he brought it out there, there were “always people out there.”

Hill allegedly kept cashing his dad’s social security checks, reports said. Picture: ABC 15

For the last six months, the freezer sat outside without power, CBS added.

Police charged him with concealing a body and failure to report a death – though cops say more charges could be coming.

He’s being held in Maricopa County Jail on $25,000 cash bail, reports said.

“It’s definitely shocking,” one neighbour said. “Especially when you have small children asking, ‘What happened at Joe’s house?’”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Reason son left dad’s corpse in backyard freezer for years