Arizona Man Stored Dead Father in Backyard Freezer for 4 Years to Keep His Home: Police

An Arizona man has been charged with storing his dead father in a backyard freezer for four years.

Joseph Daniel Hill Jr., 51, was arrested on charges of failing to report a death and concealing a dead boy after he was discovered to have kept his father in a stand-up freezer at the back of a home in Tempe, Ariz., on Friday, Oct. 25, according to police, per CNN, AZFamily CBS5 and Fox10 Phoenix. 

The home where the body was found is listed as belonging to Hill’s father, Joseph Hill Sr., and is also the home where Hill grew up, the outlets reported. The freezer had been in the backyard for between four to six months without power, the outlets added.

Hill reportedly told police that his father died at the home four years ago. He added that he didn’t report his death as his name was not listed on the property deeds and he didn’t want to lose his home.

According to court documents, per CNN, police initially visited the home on Oct. 22 after being tipped off that Hill was keeping his father in the freezer. During their visit, the defendant stopped them from inspecting the machine as he claimed that his father died four years ago in Oregon. 

Detectives took over the case and found no record of Hill Sr.’s death. They did, however, find that his Social Security benefits had been collected up until March 2023.

When detectives returned with a search warrant to the home on Friday, Hill’s “demeanor began to change” as he told them “there was going to be something in the freezer,” reported multiple outlets including CNN, AZFamily CBS5 and Fox10 Phoenix.

Detectives found the body in a skeletal condition with an “extensive amount of biological matter.” It was wrapped up in two ratchet straps and multiple layers of duct tape, several layers of saran wrap, bed sheets, two blankets and a tarp in the freezer, the outlets reported police as stating. 

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According to court documents, per the outlets, Hill told police he bought the freezer the day after his father died as he planned to bury him in a plot of land he’d purchased in Strawberry, Ariz.

His plans reportedly changed after a fire broke out at the property and he lost power, forcing him to return with his father to Tempe. The same incident also occurred at the home in June 2023. 

Hill claimed to police that he’d tried to bury his father in the desert after that but there were “always people there.”

A bond of $25,000 was set for Hill’s release. He is due for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 4.

PEOPLE has reached out to Maricopa County Office for further comment.