Police said a man in Georgia killed his grandmother by locking her in a freezer while she was still alive.
Floyd County Police found the body of Doris Cumming, 82, on Thursday in the home she shared with her grandson, 29-year-old Robert Keith Tincher III.
The Associated Press reports that Mr Tincher has been charged with murder, aggravated battery and concealing the death of another. He is currently being held in a jail in Rome, Georgia.
Ms Cumming's family told police that they believed she had moved out of state, but grew concerned when they had not heard from her. They reported her as missing, which led police to search for her.
Police believe Ms Cumming was hurt in a fall in December, and believe Mr Tincher dragged the woman through the home. A warrant for Mr Tincher's arrest claimed the man "heard and saw numerous bones break" before he wrapped her in plastic bags and left her in a large freezer.
“From what we determined, at the time, he believed she was still breathing and had some movement at the time she was going into the freezer,” Floyd County Investigator Brittany Werner told WAGA-TV.
Mr Tincher allegedly continued living inside the home with the body still in the freezer for months. He is then accused of moving the body to a storage unit in March, fearing that the woman's body would be found.
According to Ms Werner, Mr Tincher did not call 911 for his grandmother because he had a warrant out for his arrest over alleged terroristic threats he made in 2018 against his wife.
The man reportedly told investigators that he loved his grandmother.
“He said she was the only family member that gave him the courtesy and love and attention he needed,” Ms Werner said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an autopsy to determine Ms Cumming's cause and time of death.
