A mummified body was found inside a bathtub at an Arizona home after police responded to reports of a burglary.
Bullhead City Police Department (BCPD) was alerted to reports of a burglary in progress at a home near 7th Street and Palm Avenue, in Mohave County, at about 3:30 a.m. on September 10.
Neighbors told police they had not seen the resident in about a year and assumed she had moved away.
When police entered the home, they found Christine Lee Walters, 65, rummaging through the property. They also found pry marks on the door indicating entry into the home.
Officers learned Walters had allegedly been in the home on Thursday, September 8, and had removed clothes, purses and bags to sell online.
A BCPD spokesperson said in a Wednesday, September 14, Facebook post: “While police were on scene, they found a deceased person in the bathtub. The deceased body was in a mummified state and is believed to be the homeowner. It is unknown how long the body had been in the house.”
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, there are 22,071 open missing person cases in the U.S. It added there were 14,589 open unclaimed person cases.
Walters was later booked on two counts of burglary into the Mohave County Jail in Kingman, according to the post.
Detectives then searched Walters’ home and her vehicle where they found more items that belonged to the victim.
These included her birth certificate, IRS paperwork, driver’s license, and credit cards. Police said they also found drug paraphernalia and “useable” amounts of methamphetamine.
Police have since requested additional charges on Walters for theft of credit cards, possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Newsweek has contacted the BCPD for comment.
In August, Trista Spicer was apprehended after the remains of a man, who had been missing since 2014, were found in a makeshift tomb in California.
A San Bernadino police spokesperson later said: “During the service of the search warrant, investigators observed what appeared to be a makeshift tomb on the property. Investigators entered the makeshift tomb and located human remains inside.”
In Kentucky, a decomposing body was found inside a vehicle at a car wash in Lexington after people complained about a foul odor coming from it. Investigators added they did not find anything suspicious or unusual at the scene.
Earlier in September, a body was found inside a vehicle at an Arkansas Walmart parking lot, police said.