SAN DIEGO, CA – The body of a woman discovered last month in a freezer in San Diego could have been missing or deceased for as long as nine years, law enforcement officials announced on Thursday. The body was found inside a running freezer at a residential property by visiting family members unrelated to the deceased, prompting them to notify the police.
According to authorities, the visiting family members were related to a current resident of the home. Due to the atypical circumstances surrounding the body’s location, the San Diego police homicide unit commenced an investigation.
On Thursday, police identified the body as belonging to an 81-year-old white woman, Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones. Police said, “based on the investigation to this point, detectives believe it is possible that Haxby-Jones may have been missing or dead for up to nine years.” Notably, no missing person’s report was ever filed for Haxby-Jones.
Authorities confirmed that at some point prior to the grim discovery, Haxby-Jones had resided at the property, which sits on Zion Avenue. The cause of her death is yet to be established. While no visible traumatic injuries were found on the body, the medical examiner’s office is still conducting their investigation.
Currently treating the case as a suspicious death, the detectives urge anyone with information about Haxby-Jones or pertinent knowledge to contact them.