Bodies Found In Freezers

[stu neville]

From the BBC:

A post mortem examination is due to be carried out
A woman in her 50s has been arrested after a man's body was found in a freezer in a village near Bath.

Local residents believe the man to be David Heal, aged in his 60s, who was found at a house in Oaklands, Paulton on Tuesday night.

Both the body and the freezer have been taken to the mortuary at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

The house has been sealed off, and crime scene investigators are carrying out a thorough search.

Neighbours said Mr Heal, a recently divorced electrician, had lived at the property for three months.

Inspector Nigel Tinsley-Such of Avon and Somerset Police said they would like to speak to anyone who had connections with the home.

"It's clearly a suspicious death and we are making inquiries about it."

"The body is frozen and this will cause us some difficulties over the next few days before we can establish what happened to him."

He added that a post mortem examination was not likely to be carried out until Friday.

Stella Higgins, who lived next door, added: "He was a very quiet man. He seemed quite normal. You wouldn't think he would be found like that."

I doubt he did, either... besides which, do you have to be other than normal to end up dead in a freezer? Discuss.

 

[escargot]

The body in the freezer is seen both in fiction/drama and in real-life crime.
There are several cases a year in the US. Sometimes (apparently) it seems a good idea to hide a body in the freezer for a while, then it gets all hard and.......... You're stuck with it.

There was an episode of 'Wycliffe' too where a woman who died of natural causes was hidden in a feezer to ensure that the right person inherited from her. She would have been thawed out and then 'died' after another relative died.
Cornwall you know, funny place, funny peeps........

Wonder how this one was found? American ones are usually in 'storage facilities' (like in 'Silence of the Lambs').

 

[Timble2]

.........There was an episode of 'Wycliffe' too where a woman who died of natural causes was hidden in a feezer to ensure that the right person inherited from her. She would have been thawed out and then 'died' after another relative died.....

There was an episode of 'Quincy' with an almost identical plot.

It's not necessarily murder or manslaughter, it could be one of those cases where a partner dies of natural causes and the survivor doesn't want to let them go.

Or a misguided and deluded attempt at DIY 'Cryonic suspension' in similar circumstances.

 

[Anonymous]

The body in the freezer is seen both in fiction/drama and in real-life crime.
There are several cases a year in the US. Sometimes (apparently) it seems a good idea to hide a body in the freezer for a while, then it gets all hard and.......... You're stuck with it.

Not necessarily. Ever read about the Woodchipper Murder?

 

[escargot]

I saw the woodchipper murder recon on Discovery or whatever (where a letter addressed to the victim, which must have been in her dressing gown pocket, passed unscathed through the chipper. Yeah right. )

Don't remember her being frozen though- will pay closer attention next time I ghoulishly watch it.

 

[Anonymous]

There was an episode of 'Wycliffe' too where a woman who died of natural causes was hidden in a feezer to ensure that the right person inherited from her. She would have been thawed out and then 'died' after another relative died.
Cornwall you know, funny place, funny peeps........

yes we usualy put them in pasties and sell em to tourists..... and as for Wycliffe.. id like the ability to walk down a road in penzance say i wasnt dinner and step into a street in Mousehole at least 3 niles away.... teliportation ah!

 

[Anonymous]

I saw the woodchipper murder recon on Discovery or whatever (where a letter addressed to the victim, which must have been in her dressing gown pocket, passed unscathed through the chipper. Yeah right. )

Don't remember her being frozen though- will pay closer attention next time I ghoulishly watch it.

Hmmm, different case than the one I'm thinking of.
Richard Crafts killed his wife, Helle, and froze her body in a chest-style freezer. Once she was solid he, uh, dismembered the body, disposing of the parts into a wood chipper that was sending the chips out into a lake. The largest part they found was half a thumb nail, but it was enough to convict him.
Link:
http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/woodchipper_murder/

 

[lopaka]

Another notorious US case was that of a young woman, Denise Huber, who was found in her killer's freezer three years after she was abducted. The story was recounted in the well-written, but exceedingly tastelessly titled true-crime book Cold Storage

 

[OneWingedBird]

He added that a post mortem examination was not likely to be carried out until Friday.

If he's thawed out by then.

 

[Anonymous]

Freez on.

Well what about the man in Germany that found someone on the internet that wanted to be eaten .
The person concerned went to Germany and it seems that before freezing the man
they partook in cutting of and eating his penis.
The recipient fed of the frozen body for months.
The court case continues.

 

[Anonymous]

Then there was the Roald Dahl tale of the lady who beat her husband to death with a leg of frozen lamb, then defrosted it, roasted it and fed it to the detectives who came round to investigate, thereby getting rid of the murder weapon

 

[Spookyangel]

I remember one horror film (could have been a Hammer one?) where someone was killed and chopped into bits and put in a freezer and then the bits came back to life. It was one of those films with lots of stories in one film. Wish I could remember what it was called now.

Wasn't there a Columbo where the murderer froze the body and then left it out so that the time of death would be estimated as being much later?

Sorry, I'm burbling. I'll shut up now.

 

[stu neville]

I remember one horror film (could have been a Hammer one?) where someone was killed and chopped into bits and put in a freezer and then the bits came back to life. It was one of those films with lots of stories in one film. Wish I could remember what it was called now.

"Asylum", with Robert Powell and Herbert Lom.

 

[Spookyangel]

"Asylum", with Robert Powell and Herbert Lom.

Thankyou.

 

[chockfullahate]

a mafia contract killer, called kuklinski, i think, used to freeze some bodies, then dump them a year or so later, so when they were thawed they looked as though they had died recently.

 

[Yithian]

In Columbo the murderer used an electric blanket to keep the corpse warm.

 

[Spookyangel]

In Columbo the murderer used an electric blanket to keep the corpse warm.

Who was the murderer that time?
I'm sure there was one with the freezer, or maybe it was a wine cellar. Oh I don't know, I'm babbling again.

 

[marion]

Wouldn't you freeze-dry after a while if you weren't wrapped in plastic? There was a story in a local paper a few years ago of a couple who put their dead dog in a spare chest freezer cause they didn't want to bury it then have to move, the dog was in there so long it froze-dried.
I rememeber another story where a toddler was found in a freezer, no one had even known the mother had the child let alone that it had died, odd and sad.

 

[escargot]

A development-
Man in Court over Body in Freezer Murder

10:49am (UK)
Man in Court over Body in Freezer Murder

By Lucy Rodgers, PA News


A 27-year-old man accused of murdering a victim whose body was found in a freezer was remanded in custody when he appeared in court today.

Matthew Sidney Roberts, of no fixed abode, spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth at Bath Magistrates’ Court during the short hearing.

Roberts, who was wearing a white hooded jump suit, navy blue T-shirt and navy blue jogging bottoms, is accused of murdering David Heal between January 3 and January 4 of this year.

Mr Heal, 64, was identified by his fingerprints after his body was discovered in the freezer of the bungalow where he lived in Oaklands, Paulton, near Bath, last Tuesday.

Roberts was arrested in connection with the death on Friday and was charged with murder on Monday night.

The case was sent to Bristol Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on Monday January 26.

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

I can't really see why this was left so long but I've never had a cropse in my freezer so........

Slain Husband Stuffed in Freezer Three Years

Wed May 12,11:03 AM ET


LISBON (Reuters) - A Portuguese woman confessed to murdering her husband and hiding his body in a kitchen freezer for three years, Lusa news agency reported.

The man's brother found the rotting body Sunday in Jolda Sao Paio, a village about 235 miles north of Lisbon. It was doubled up in the freezer under dirt, blankets and children's clothing, Lusa said Tuesday.

The news agency said the man's 33-year-old wife admitted she and a lover suffocated her husband, a 35-year-old construction worker, in June 2001. She and her three children then lived more than six months with the body stuffed in the freezer.

The family moved in early 2002 and electricity to the freezer was shut off. The man's brother discovered the body while seeking the source of a strong smell in the house.

The woman and her alleged accomplice were arrested on Sunday. A local court ordered her held under house arrest and her accomplice to report periodically to police.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=6&u=/nm/20040512/od_nm/freezer_dc

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=5120422

Emps

 

[Timble2]

Not sure if this is a Strange Death, Strange Crime or just an exceptionally gruesome murder.

At: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,1271,-4191569,00.html

Husband sought over body in freezer
Press Association
Friday June 11, 2004 12:33 AM


A couple discovered the dismembered remains of their daughter-in-law in a freezer after breaking into their son's home, police said.

Paul Dalton's horrified parents called in police after making the grim discovery on Tuesday evening at the £500,000 three-bedroomed house in Kingston upon Thames, south west London.

Detectives have now alerted ports in their hunt to track down the missing 33-year-old husband of Korean-born Tae Hui Dalton, nee Kang. Officers urged any witnesses who had either been in Woodside Road over the weekend or who had seen Mrs Dalton since Bank Holiday Monday, May 31, to contact them.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Ephgrave, who is leading the investigation into the murder, said: "Mr Dalton, the suspect's father, attended this address with his wife late on Tuesday evening trying to find Paul.

"They got in and made a search of the house which appeared to be relatively clear of effects.

"During the search they opened the chest freezer in the kitchen and found a series of packages. They looked and realised what they had discovered was a dismembered body.

"I can only speculate how that must have felt but it was clearly a very shocking event."
.............

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Man's Body Found In Freezer, Roommate Arrested



Man's Body Found In Freezer, Roommate Arrested



July 9, 2004

Denise Rosch Reporting

A matter-of-fact admission from an elderly man caught with a body in his patio freezer. 64-year old Lawrence Pruett is in jail now, charged with murder. Pruett was arrested at his home near Carey andMt. Hood last night. Officers say, he didn't even try to hide the gruesome secret from them.

News 3's Denise Rosch reports, why a missing roommate may be the key to the case.

Neighbors in the area say the man in the freezer is Larry Pruett's missing roommate. They say the man disappeared about 2 weeks ago. And then just yesterday a freezer that had been stored on the side of the house, suddenly appeared on the driveway.

Laurie Lewis isn't the first neighbor today drawn to the empty mobile home down the street. "It scared me. I was like uhhhh. We thought it was a quiet neighborhood."

Yet, Thursday night it was anything but quiet. Police officers moved in after a neighbor reported seeing a body in a freezer outside Lawrence Pruett's home.

"When the police officers, patrol officers, made contact with the homeowner, he said: yep. There's a human inside."

And detectives think Pruett murdered the man. He's under arrest, leaving neighbors to question just how well they knew him.

"Anybody's capable of doing that if they're not all there." Karen Allen lives two doors down. It isn't unusual for a dozen kids to play outside her front door, little boys who knew Pruett for years.

"Whoever goes to his house... he says he's going to pull a knife on them. So that's why we don't go alone, we go with Chris's mom."

"I'm happy I'm moving because I don't want to live next to a killer."

Police think the man in the freezer may have been dead a week or more, a timeline that fits a neighborhood theory. "There's been someone missing out of the house for a week-and-a-half, two weeks."

The coroner's office identifies the victim as 45-year old Bradley Millisor. According to autopsy reports, he was shot multiple times. Pruett denied our request for an interview. It's also important to point out while he admitted the body was in the freezer, that doesn't mean he's confessed to the murder itself.

http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=2021302&nav=15MVOe8E

 

[TheQuixote]

Body in freezer may not be illegal
Associated Press
October 28, 2004 FREEZE1029

SPOKANE, Wash. -- It may seem creepy, but it's not necessarily a crime to keep a corpse in the freezer, police say.

A 59-year-old man walked into the Public Safety Building on Tuesday to ask what he should do with the dead woman's body he had stashed in a chest-style freezer, Capt. Bruce Roberts said. Detectives who responded to the Chateaux Apartments found the body of a 57-year-old woman inside the freezer, he said.

Police did not identify the man but said he was the woman's caregiver. He told them he arrived at the woman's apartment about a week ago and found her dead, then put her in the freezer.

``His underlying motivation, at least what he told us, was he wanted to preserve her dignity,'' Roberts said. ``It's unique and unusual, but at this point there is nothing criminal.''

The man was sent to a hospital for a mental evaluation.

Detectives couldn't remove the body, so they took the whole freezer, Roberts said. There were no obvious signs of foul play but an autopsy was planned once the body thawed.

The man told investigators that he had a relationship with the woman for several years but was not her husband.

``She apparently had several strokes and other medical problems during that time,'' police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/5056616.html


-The news title inspired a "Whaaaaaaat?" moment out of me anyway.

 

[TheQuixote]

Mother in freezer-baby case commits suicide before court date
Last Updated Tue, 25 Jan 2005 18:23:12 EST
CBC News

WINNIPEG - A Manitoba woman committed suicide just days before she was supposed to appear in court on charges of putting her baby's body in a freezer, officials believe.

Tammy Lynn Grawberger's first court appearance had been scheduled for this week.

The chief medical examiner suspects Grawberger, who died in hospital last Wednesday, killed herself.

The 40-year-old Winnipeg woman was charged late last fall with failing to provide the necessities of life, neglecting to obtain assistance during childbirth, and concealing the dead body of a child.

In the spring of 2003, a power failure led Grawberger's ex-husband to empty a freezer the woman allegedly had given him after they broke up. He found a plastic bag in the bottom of the freezer with small fingers sticking out.

DNA tests proved the child was Grawberger's and an autopsy determined that the baby had been born alive.

Investigators were not able to zero in on a cause of death.

Police believe the baby was born sometime between September 1999 and June 2000. They said the body had been in the freezer for between one and three years.

CBC News

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

Dead mother kept in freezer for years

Associated Press
Apr. 25, 2005 05:55 PM

LA CROSSE, Wis. - A man accused of holding off police for nearly 15 hours by threatening them with explosives told officers he kept his dead mother in a freezer for years while he collected her Social Security checks, authorities said Monday.

Philip Schuth, 52, told police his elderly mother, Edith, died of natural causes in August 2000, but he didn't tell anyone because he was afraid police would blame him, according to a documents filed in court Monday.

Years earlier his mother was attacked by a cat, resulting in her blood landing on the walls in the house they shared, and he was worried he'd be charged with murder, according to the document.

Police recovered the chest-type freezer in Schuth's basement after he eventually surrendered. Inside they found what they think is a human body, frozen in mounds of ice in a seated position. Schuth told investigators he had no other means of income other than his mother's Social Security checks, the court document said.

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Ramona Gonzalez set Schuth's bail at $100,000 Monday, and the district attorney said he expected to charge Schuth next week.

Schuth said almost nothing in court, except to pronounce his last name as "shoof." He rocked in his chair as he waited to face the judge.

Investigators found the freezer at the end of an all-night standoff at Schuth's home in the Town of Campbell, located on French Island in the Mississippi River about 110 miles northwest of Madison.

The standoff began Friday when 10-year-old Josh Russell told his father, Randy, that Schuth hit him in Schuth's yard.

Randy Russell, his wife, Melissa, and Josh Russell confronted Schuth. Schuth admitted he hit the boy, then pulled out a handgun and opened fire from about eight yards away, according to the court document. Randy Russell was hit three times before the family fled and called police. Russell was treated and released at a La Crosse hospital later that night.

Schuth, meanwhile, retreated into his house. Three SWAT teams arrived, and Schuth told negotiators he had "more than 10 but less than 100" bombs in the house and 16 firearms, and it would be "high noon" when he surrendered, according to the court documents.

"We were all in danger," said La Crosse County Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Wolf, who led the SWAT teams.

Wolf said Schuth watched the standoff on the TV news while he talked with officers, who eventually talked him into surrendering early Saturday morning without incident.

Wolf declined to detail how they calmed down Schuth, saying only that Schuth told them he has no family and "almost appeared happy he had someone to talk to."

Schuth said his mother was from England and his father, an American, had fought in one of the world wars. Schuth told police he was born in Germany and held only part-time jobs. He graduated from a La Crosse high school and lived most of his life on French Island, but investigators had little more information on him, Wolf said.

Schuth was known around French Island for walking around in a coat and wader-style rubber boots, even in warm weather.

"I know of him and I saw him and I knew where he lived. He walked the streets, the sidewalks of the Town of Campbell all the time," said state Sen. Dan Kapanke, a Republican who lives three blocks from Schuth.

Investigators found 15 to 20 homemade explosive devices, packed with nails, heavy staples and other metal items. Schuth referred to the devices as "anti-personnel," court documents said. They also found a sawed-off shotgun along with 15 other firearms.

Inside the freezer, police found a block of ice. They chipped away at it and uncovered a human knee. The ice block was taken to Hastings, Minn., where investigators were still working to chip it apart Monday. Wolf said a body appears to be in the block, intact in a sitting position.

The body has yet to be identified. An autopsy is expected to be completed late this week.

Court documents said investigators also found $10,000 in cash in the house and checks for a joint account Schuth held with his mother.

Schuth told investigators his mother's Social Security checks are deposited into that account. He once switched the account to a different bank after an employee questioned whether his mother was still alive, Schuth told authorities.

Schuth said he continues to receive Social Security deposits electronically in the joint account, which investigators say contained about $25,000.

Schuth told investigators the money wouldn't last more than five years, and he was thinking about killing himself with a "12-gauge lobotomy" or committing armed robbery so he would go to jail.

County land records showed the home is valued at $56,200, and ownership remains in the name of Edith Schuth.

La Crosse County District Attorney Scott Horne said he plans to charge Schuth next week with attempted homicide and reckless endangerment for allegedly shooting at the Russell family, as well as having improvised explosives, concealing a corpse and possessing a short-barrelled shotgun.

Source

 

[lopaka]

Even though he hits children, shoots their parents and his mother's blood is on the wall, I can't see why he'd be so paranoid as to think that they would suspect him of killing her.

And, no offense to any Wisconsinites reading, I do like the place quite a bit, what the hell IS IT about that state that it seems to collect way more than its share of Ed Gein/Jeffery Dahmer/Wisconsin Death Trip/Church Rampages kind of stuff...

Man tells police dead mother kept in freezer for years

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 Posted: 11:22 AM EDT (1522 GMT)

LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (AP) -- A man told police he kept his mother's corpse in a basement freezer for more than four years while he collected her Social Security checks, authorities said Monday. A body was found encased in ice, in a sitting position.

Philip Schuth, 52, told police his elderly mother, Edith, died of natural causes in August 2000, but that he didn't tell anyone because he was afraid police would blame him, according to documents filed in court Monday.

He said his mother years beforehand was attacked by a cat and her blood was on the walls in the house they shared, and he feared police would think he killed her, according to the documents.

Police recovered a chest-type freezer in Schuth's basement, and after chipping away at a block of ice, discovered a human knee.

Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Wolf said a body appears to be in the block, intact in a sitting position. The body has not been identified; an autopsy is set for later this week.

Investigators found the freezer at the end of an all-night standoff at Schuth's home in the Town of Campbell, located on French Island in the Mississippi River about 110 miles northwest of Madison. The standoff began Friday when a 10-year-old boy told his father that Schuth had hit him.

The boy's father, mother and the child confronted Schuth at his home. After admitting he had hit the boy, Schuth pulled out a handgun and opened fire, according to court documents. The father was hit three times, and the family fled and called police. The father was treated and released for his wounds.

Schuth retreated into his house and when SWAT teams arrived, he told negotiators he had "more than 10 but less than 100" bombs and 16 firearms, and that it would be "high noon" when he surrendered, according to court documents.

He surrendered early Saturday without incident. Investigators found 15 to 20 homemade explosive devices, packed with nails, heavy staples and other metal items, a sawed-off shotgun along with 15 other firearms, documents said.

La Crosse County District Attorney Scott Horne said he plans to charge Schuth next week with attempted homicide and reckless endangerment for allegedly shooting at the family, as well as having improvised explosives and concealing a corpse.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/26/freeze ... index.html

 

[Melf]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4605971.stm

Babies in freezer shock Austria


Four new-born babies have been found dead - two of them in a basement freezer - at an apartment complex in the southern Austrian city of Graz.
Police are questioning a woman aged 32 - believed to be the mother - and her 38-year-old partner.

The first body was found on Monday - reportedly when a tenant went to get an ice cream for his daughter. Later another body was found in the freezer.

The third and fourth were in a paint bucket and under a pile of debris.

Investigation

Sniffer dogs led police to the bucket, which had been filled with cement, and to the debris, which was in a garden shed.

The fourth body was found in a plastic bag on Friday at the residence, about 200 km (120 miles) south of Vienna.

Police are now trying to determine the cause of death in each case.

The woman, a bookkeeper, is reported to have admitted killing the babies in despair after giving birth.

The suspicious deaths are believed to have taken place over a period of three years.

Her partner is said to have denied knowing about her pregnancies. DNA tests have been ordered, to find out if he is the father.

(c) bbc 05

(right place for this?)

 

[TheQuixote]

From the BBC:

A post mortem examination is due to be carried out
A woman in her 50s has been arrested after a man's body was found in a freezer in a village near Bath.

...and the follow-up on the OP.

Man admits 'freezer body' murder

A man has been jailed for killing a 64-year-old whose body was found in a freezer at a house in Somerset.
Matthew Sidney Roberts, 29, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the murder of David Heal in January 2004.

The body of Mr Heal, the ex-boyfriend of Roberts' mother, was found in a freezer at his home near Bath.

The court head that Roberts had worn a T-shirt in custody which read "I freeze old people". He was told he must serve at least 12 years and seven months.

It was an aggravating feature to treat the body in the way you did. It showed anything but respect
Judge Tom Crowther

Bristol Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Roberts had spent New Year's Eve with his mother, Lorraine Harvey, and Mr Heal in Paulton.

Shortly after this, Mrs Harvey and Mr Heal split up but Roberts continued living with Mr Heal.

Neil Ford, for the prosecution, said Mr Heal and Roberts spent the evening of 4 January drinking at a local pub.

The pair then went back to Mr Heal's home and a row broke out after Mr Heal made comments about Roberts' mother.

Mr Ford said: "He lost his self control and punched David Heal hard three times, intending really serious harm. The deceased had fallen back on to the sofa.

"The defendant left to calm down and came back to put his body in the freezer."

Roberts fled to Manchester spending more than £1,300 on credit cards stolen from Mr Heal's wallet.

It took police two days to find Mr Heal's body frozen solid in the freezer.

Michael Hubbard, defending, said Roberts had suffered a "fractured" childhood and had "a turbulent background".

He added: "It's a thousand pities that this argument took place, a silly argument fuelled by alcohol."

Passing sentence Judge Tom Crowther said: "I accept that you had no intention to kill.

"It was an aggravating feature to treat the body in the way you did. It showed anything but respect."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/e ... 603147.stm
Published: 2005/06/02 16:47:26 GMT

© BBC MMV

 

[Mighty_Emperor]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4605971.stm

Babies in freezer shock Austria


Four new-born babies have been found dead - two of them in a basement freezer - at an apartment complex in the southern Austrian city of Graz.
Police are questioning a woman aged 32 - believed to be the mother - and her 38-year-old partner.

......

A longer report:

Newborns' bodies found in freezer

Friday, June 3, 2005 Posted: 9:53 AM EDT (1353 GMT)


VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- In a gruesome discovery that stunned usually tranquil Austria, police said Friday they found the bodies of four newborns -- two of them stuffed into a freezer -- at an apartment complex in the southern city of Graz.

Authorities charged the infants' 32-year-old mother with murder, saying she confessed to killing them out of despair over her inability to pay bills and fear that having a child might drive away her longtime male partner. The companion also was placed under investigation.

The grisly killings and disposals, which authorities said may have begun three years ago, shocked the alpine nation, where multiple homicides are rare, and led to calls for more assistance for women who have crisis pregnancies.

Police said two of the bodies were found in the freezer of the apartment building in Graz, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Vienna and a few kilometers (miles) from the birthplace of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Authorities arrested the suspect and her 38-year-old partner on Thursday, police said.

Austrian state broadcaster ORF said two bodies were wrapped in plastic bags and stuffed in the freezer, and a third -- a newborn girl -- was placed in a paint bucket that was filled with cement to conceal the remains.

Specially trained police sniffer dogs led investigators to the body in the bucket, ORF reported. Police were searching the building and an adjacent garden shed for clues to the killings Friday when they came across the fourth body, wrapped in a plastic bag beneath a pile of debris in the shed, officials said.

Graz's Kleine Zeitung newspaper reported that the first of the bodies was discovered on Monday by a resident of the multifamily apartment block when the man -- who went down to the basement to get ice cream for his children -- opened a chest freezer shared by the building's occupants.

Stunned, the tenant called police, who later located a second body in the freezer, buried beneath frozen meat and vegetables.

Although police initially considered the possibility that the infants may have been stillborn, evidence at the scene quickly pointed to the newborns' slayings before their bodies were stuffed in the freezer, they said in a statement.

The suspect, a bookkeeper whose name was not released in line with Austrian privacy laws, lived in the building with her partner for the past eight years, authorities said. Neighbors described the woman as "a real mensch" who worked hard to keep a tidy house and a beautiful yard.

Police Lt. Col. Werner Jud said Friday the suspect was not entirely coherent during questioning, but told investigators she gave birth to all the babies in her bathtub.

"Various reasons can lead women into such violent situations that they can't even think straight," said Dr. Roswith Roth of the University of Graz's Institute of Psychology.

"When a mother kills a child right after its birth, it's clear that she does so because she sees no other way out," Roth told the Austria Press Agency. "There is still an enormous amount of ignorance in how to prevent such things."

Police said they believed the bodies may have been placed in the freezer as long as three years ago. They said the woman mentioned in her confession that she was in despair over her ability to survive and had been worried she would lose her companion if she had a child.

Her partner allegedly told police he was unaware of her pregnancies and insisted he played no role in either the slayings or the hiding of the bodies.

Although the province of Styria where Graz is regional capital has had a program in place since 2001 allowing women who don't want to keep their babies to give birth anonymously, women's advocates called for greater attention to their plight.

"The climate in which a woman must deal with an unplanned pregnancy is not very supportive in Austria," said Sylvia Groth, who heads a women's health center in Graz.

Autopsies were held, but results had not been released as of Friday afternoon, officials said. They said the forensic examination was held up by the need to first slowly thaw the frozen remains of the infants found in the freezer.

Jud said DNA tests would be carried out on the woman's companion to determine if he was the babies' father.

---------------------
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

Source

 

[TheQuixote]

Teacher guilty of freezer killing

A headteacher who killed his "bullying" wife, sawed her body up and hid the remains in a freezer has been convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder. Paul Dalton, 35, from Kingston, Surrey, told the Old Bailey he killed Tae Hui by accident after years of torment.

He said the 38-year-old had taunted him over an affair and he "lashed out" in a "blind panic" when she lunged at him.

Dalton admitted killing his wife but denied murder. He is due to be sentenced on Monday.

'Scared of her'

The defendant always maintained he accidentally killed his Korean-born wife, denying prosecution claims he left her to die.

Dalton, who said she treated him like a slave, told the jury: "She always got what she wanted. I was scared of her. Everyone was scared of her."

The couple ran a language school in Kingston that he set up, but the defendant said she denied him a wage and also took his passport to stop him leaving, stalking him when he tried to escape.

During the fateful row, he said his wife told him she had only married for "the visa".

After the violent scuffle, Dalton went upstairs and returned to find blood coming from her mouth. Cause of death was given as inhalation.

'She was gone'

"She was not breathing. I looked into her face and she was gone," he said.

Later, he bought an electric saw, a bow saw and dust sheets before chopping the body into nine pieces and put them in a fridge-freezer in the kitchen.

Dalton, a teetotal computer specialist, was traced by police to Japan after his parents visited his home as they had not heard from him and discovered the body.

He told the court he had fled to make sense of what had happened, saying his "brain was on fire".

Dalton admitted killing his wife - who he met in 1994 and married three years later - and preventing her burial.

The jury convicted him of manslaughter on the grounds of lack of intent (to murder) after less than an hour's deliberation.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4708687.stm
Published: 2005/07/22 22:36:46 GMT

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