Police in Florida are investigating how a 93-year-old woman’s body ended up in a freezer at her home.
Marie Hoskins was discovered inside the freezer in her home’s garage Thursday, according to Sebastian police.
A concerned neighbor called police that day to conduct a welfare check on Hoskins, police said in a statement posted Saturday.
“The neighbors were concerned about not seeing Marie Hoskins for an extended period of time. Officers made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact anyone at the residence and were unable to obtain any information on the whereabouts of Mrs. Hoskins,” police said.
Officers eventually gained access to her home with assistance from a family member from out of town, police said.
Inside the home, police found a 64-year-old resident whom they did not identify by name but described as Hoskins’ daughter.
The woman told investigators, “She hadn’t seen her mother, Marie in some time,” police said.
Hoskins’ daughter voluntarily spoke to investigators. Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home Friday morning, police said.
That’s when they recovered Hoskins’ body and other evidence, police said.
Officers initially checked all hospitals and areas where an elderly person might be, police Capt. Timothy Wood told NBC affiliate WPTV of West Palm Beach. He said police looking into the case had an “odd feeling about the situation.”
Neighbors told the station they were saddened by the development.
“It’s sad and kind of shocking,” Richard Maloney said.
Detectives are working with the medical examiner and the state attorney in the case, police said.
Sebastian is north of Vero Beach on Florida’s east coast.
