Terrell York: Michigan man arrested for hiding wife's death after her body was found 'partially frozen'
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN: A Michigan man Terrell York was arrested and charged after police found his wife Patricia York's body in a freezer, during a welfare check. Law enforcement had initially received a phone call from an estranged family member over concerns they hadn't heard from the victim in a long while.
According to the Isabella County Sheriff’s Office, the wife and her family had a “falling out,” but some members of the family grew “increasingly” worried about her, Front Page Detectives reported. When police first arrived at York's residence in Mt Pleasant, he allegedly told the deputies that his wife was not there. However, the mystery unraveled after York was arrested and taken into custody for an unrelated warrant.
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What happened to Terrell York's wife Patricia York?
When police booked the Michigan man for another charge, they, in addition, questioned him about his wife's whereabouts. Upon which, York told detectives that his wife moved in with some family in Newaygo, but when the detectives cross-checked with the relatives they learned it wasn't true. Court records noted, at the time of the questioning York gave “erratic” answers and was “looking all around the room.” He also informed authorities that Patricia “did not want her family to know where she was living.”
Officers later spoke with Yorks’ landlord and were made known that Patricia had cancer and she used to pay the rent money in cash until a year and a half ago before she stopped visiting. After that, Terrell started bringing over the money, and whenever the landlord said he would ask him about how his wife was doing every month, Terrell “would say she was getting treatment or something like that,” MLive.com stated. Deputies later issued a search warrant for York's residence and described his home as "filthy" and smelly as it had animal feces all over the floors.
What happened next when pandora's box was opened?
Police then found a chest freezer in the kitchen and found Patricia’s body when they opened it. An officer claimed that she was “partially frozen and appeared to have been inside for quite a length of time, wrapped in a blanket.” When the pandora's box was finally opened, Terrell told investigators that Patricia died on September 13, 2022, of natural causes and he did not inform anyone about her death because he was “scared” since “she was so sick before she died.” The husband continued to receive his wife's Social Security payments and allegedly spent the money on food and other utilities. Moreover, a preliminary autopsy revealed they were no signs of foul play, authorities said. York was booked into the Isabella County Jail on a charge of concealing the death of an individual. His bond is set at $5,000.