Man hides dead ex-girlfriend in freezer as new lover takes on her identity

Man hides dead ex-girlfriend in freezer as new lover takes on her identity

A man in the US has been jailed for storing his dead girlfriend's body in a freezer.

His new lover was also arrested as she had assumed the role of the dead woman and took on her identity. 

Authorities said the body was found last weekend at a home in Ohio and it is suspected to be a missing woman named Shannon Graves, according to US media.

Arturo Novoa, 31, and his new lover Katrina Layton, 34, were jailed on corpse-abuse charges.

Graves, who was 28, has reportedly been missing since February.

Shannon Graves
Photo: WKBN video screengrab

She was last seen on Christmas Day in 2016, according to the Ohio Attorney General Missing Persons records.

Shortly after Graves disappeared in February, Novoa moved Layton into their apartment, according to a New York Daily News report.

Chilling details reveal that Layton had assumed the role of the victim by not just moving into her home but also using her credit cards and looking after her pet dog, CBS News reported.

It added that Novoa had asked a friend for help to store the freezer, which was padlocked, at his house because his electricity was turned off.

The freezer was at his friend's home for about a month before the man and his wife forced it open, WKBN 27 First News reported.

Authorities said no murder charges have been filed because a cause of death has not yet been determined, said New York Daily News.

ssandrea@sph.com.sg

 

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