Man accused of killing wife, storing body in freezer for 4 years

MARSHFIELD, Mo. -- A man was arrested for allegedly killing his wife and storing her body in a freezer for four years, Missouri authorities confirmed Tuesday, Nov. 26.

According to Webster County Sheriff Roye Cole, the freezer (which was fitted with a lock) was found in an abandoned storage unit that was being cleaned out on the evening of Monday, Nov. 25.

When the body was first discovered, Cole said deputies were unable to determine the body’s age or sex.

“They were in there for a while,” he told KOLR.

Deputies searched for an owner, and after a while set up a sting operation to catch the suspect.

The man detained during the sting operation is, according to Cole, from Marshfield, though he at one time claimed to be a truck driver from Colorado.

Once detained, Cole said, the man admitted to murdering his wife and putting her body in the freezer.

After speaking with the man, investigators believe the woman’s death came after a fight with her husband. The fight ended when he killed her with what authorities believe was a hammer.

The man also told authorities her body was originally kept at his home before he moved it to the freezer inside the storage unit, Cole said.

Cole said the woman was never reported missing. An autopsy was pending.

Charges had not been filed Tuesday, though Cole said he spoke with prosecutors and expected charges soon.