Husband Kept Wife's Body in Freezer for 10 Years?
When two women went to clean out the house of Allan Dunn last week, they were treated to a not-so-pleasant surprise: a human body in a freezer.
Police believe that the 86-year-old man, who recently committed suicide, had been keeping his deceased wife's body on ice for the last 10 years.
Some people will do anything for government benefits.
Though his wife Margaret had purchased the Sun City Center retirement condo in 1994, UPI reports that Allan Dunn became his wife's guardian in 1999, taking legal control of her property and income.
Dunn had reportedly been telling neighbors since 2000 that she was in a nursing home, notes the St. Petersburg Times.
Dunn ended up committing suicide about 10 months ago, and according to the paper, his estate administrator, cleaning out his condo last week, was met with a rancid smell.
It came from a chest freezer on Dunn's porch.
Investigators believe that the body belongs to a woman of about 80 years of age, and that she died of natural causes in 2000, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
But if he didn't kill her, why would Allan Dunn hide his wife's body in a freezer?
Apparently, to collect government benefits.
Most Social Security benefits end when a person dies, which often puts difficult financial constraints on the deceased's spouse. However, receiving benefit payments for the deceased is considered fraud, and if caught, will land you behind bars and with a hefty sum to repay to the government.
But this is just speculation--we may never know what compelled Allan Dunn to hide his wife's body in a freezer.
Related Resources:
- Husband 'kept wife's body in freezer for 10 years' (Associated Press)
- Types of Social Security Benefits (FindLaw)
- Woman Poses as Dead Mom for Pension Benefits (FindLaw Blotter)