Deputies find man hiding in closet and a body after eviction notice visit, WV cops say
Deputies discovered a man hiding in a closet of his dead mother’s house after finding a decomposed body, West Virginia cops say. They said the man had been illegally collecting his mother’s Social Security payments for months.
Kanawha County officials and police arrived the morning of Thursday, June 1, to a home in Belle to serve an eviction notice, according to a sheriff’s office news release. They noticed “suspicious signs coming from inside of the home” and it appeared that no one was home.
When police entered, they discovered a decomposing body, the sheriff’s office said. Following this discovery, detectives with the sheriff’s office obtained a search warrant and began investigating the home.
Detectives said they found a man hiding in a closet. The man was identified as the tenant’s son.
The man told detectives he had been living with his mother at the house for the last two to three years, according to the sheriff’s office. He said his mother died in December.
Since then, the man has been collecting his mother’s monthly Social Security benefits of about $1,000, but he was not on her accounts and did not have the authorization to collect the money, detectives said. He said he has spent between $5,000 and $6,000 in benefits since December.
The tenant’s son was arrested and charged with obtaining money, property and services by false pretenses, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives said they have not been able to identify the body found at the home because of its advanced state of decomposition. An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted by the state medical examiner.
The man found at the home is considered a person of interest in the ongoing death investigation, deputies said.
Belle is about 10 miles southeast of Charleston.
This story was originally published June 2, 2023 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Deputies find man hiding in closet and a body after eviction notice visit, WV cops say."
