Alabama man accused of living with roommate’s dead body for several days
06/16/2023 12:42 pm PDT
SIPSEY, Ala. (TCD) -- Deputies arrested a 61-year-old man who reportedly lived with his roommate’s decomposing body for several days.
On Friday, June 9, the Walker County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Fourth Avenue West after an individual found their family member dead. At the scene, deputies learned Leandrew Smith lived with the deceased victim but failed to report his death. Officials did not disclose the deceased man’s identity.
The Sheriff’s Office said, "Treating a human corpse in a way that would outrage ordinary family sensibilities is a Class C felony."
Justin Hagler told AL.com the victim was his father, and he hadn’t heard from him since Tuesday, June 7. Hagler reportedly contacted Smith, but he would not disclose his father’s whereabouts.
Hagler allegedly went to the home twice looking for his father, but ultimately, Hagler’s son was the one who found the victim deceased.
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences will perform an autopsy and confirm the victim’s cause and manner of death.
Deputies took Smith into custody, and he was booked into the Walker County Jail on a charge of abuse of corpse. He remains held on $10,000 bond.
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