A woman was found in her freezer last week, dead for possibly over a year. Now, her husband is in jail.
Terrell York of Isabella County is in jail for failing to report a death. This is after police found his wife in their kitchen freezer.
“The facts of the case are obviously very strange and startling,” said David Barberi, Isabella County Prosecutor.
It started as a wellness check, the family of Patricia York realized they hadn’t seen her or heard from her in over a year.
“The victim’s daughter had called and contacted the sheriff’s department and said that it’s been a long time since they had heard from their mother,” said Barberoi. “While they were investigating they received conflicting reports from both family and from Mr. York, indicating that she had moved and she was living with family. We were unable to corroborate any of that information that he provided us.”
She hadn’t moved.
She was still in the house.
“Ultimately, when they went through the home, they located Mrs. York in the freezer in the kitchen,” said Barberi.
The original press release put out by the sheriff’s office had said York had been dead for an “undetermined amount of time” and that an autopsy would help narrow that timeline.
“Compiling other information we received in the reports from friends and family and individuals, it seems to be a year or more that she was there,” said Barberi.
An autopsy should be able to also give a cause of death but investigators believe that won’t add to York’s charges.
“We don’t have any reason to believe foul play in the cause of death,” said Barberi.
There may be more coming in fraud, if it’s proven York refused to report his wife’s death to continue to receive benefits, like social security.
“That side of it will actually be through a federal case as far as the social security benefits, and how they are handled,” said Barberi. “But we’re looking at other issues as it pertains to receiving state benefits, and that’s something we could pursue.”
