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New homeowners in Alabama discovered the decomposed body of a 19-year-old man inside their backyard freezer, which led to the arrest of the teenager's parents on Sunday (October 29), AL.com reports.
The body was identified by the Henry County Sheriff's Office as Logan Michael Halstead, according to a news release. Michael Shane Halstead, 44, and Karen Tysinger Halstead, 43, were charged with abuse of corpse after their son's remains were discovered.
The sheriff's office said it received a 911 call regarding a dead body on location at around 11:37 a.m. on Sunday. Deputies found the decomposed body inside a freezer located in the backyard of the home and determined that Halstead had died as early as July or August.
Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship said the Halstead family had previously rented the home, but moved away more than a month ago. The owner recently sold the property to the new homeowners, who were trying to clean up the area freezer, claiming it was too heavy to load into a trailer.
The homeowners said they moved items in the freezer and discovered a hand before immediately calling 911. Michael and Karen Halstead were taken into custody in Coffee County later on Sunday and returned to Henry County for questioning before being booked into Henry County Jail, initially without bond, once charges were filed, according to Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship.
The couple could face more charges in relation to the incident, according to Blankenship.
“This incident is a very tragic situation, and our agency is committed to finding out the truth,’’ Blankenship said via AL.com.
The corpse was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy. Michael and Karen Halstead appeared in Henry County Court on Monday and had their bond set at $175,000 each.