New homeowners find rotting body of Alabama teenager in backyard freezer

Homeowners clean their new house Alabama made a disturbing discovery over the weekend in an overturned backyard freezer: a badly decomposed human body.

Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship said officers were called to the scene in Headland on Sunday. He said they are believed to be the remains of 19-year-old Logan Michael Halstead. Halstead’s parents – the previous tenants of the house – have now been charged with abuse of a corpse.

Michael Shane Halstead, 44, and Karen Tysinger Halstead, 43, rented the property but left more than a month ago after missing rent payments, they say WDHN. The owner of the house then sold it to the new buyers, who found the teenager’s body on Sunday.

Accordingly AL.comThe owners planned to get rid of the freezer in their yard, but realized it was too heavy to load onto a trailer and decided to clean it out. When they opened the freezer door, they saw a hand inside and immediately called the authorities.

Sheriff Blankenship said Logan may have died as early as July or August. He said the body was so decomposed that officials could not immediately determine its gender. Later Sunday, Logan’s parents were taken into custody and charged. The parents were booked into the Henry County Jail without bail.

Logan’s body was taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy, Blankenship said, and the parents could face additional charges depending on the results.

“This incident is a very tragic situation and our agency is committed to finding out the truth,” Blankenship said.

The couple appeared in court Monday, where a judge set bail at $175,000 each. In court, Michael Shane Halstead testified that his wife was not involved in disposing of their son’s body.

Accordingly WTVY According to sources, weeks before the body was found, Michael confessed that he had placed his son’s remains in a malfunctioning freezer. The father allegedly told police what happened on Oct. 11 after he left the Headland property, but police were unable to find the body when they inspected the freezer.

According to WTVY, Logan suffered from various medical issues, including spina bifida.

The court statement described the body as being wrapped in tarpaulins and blankets and placed in a box. Sheriff Blankenship said the father claimed he suffered a manic attack and couldn’t remember how his son ended up in the freezer.

On the same day as his alleged confession, Michael was arrested by Dothan police, who reportedly sentenced him to ten days in jail for failing to appear in court on the domestic violence charge.