Spokane woman’s body found in freezer

A 59-year-old man walked into the Spokane police station Tuesday and said he needed some advice on what to do about the dead woman in his freezer.

Detectives responded to the Chateaux Apartments at 930 N. Washington and discovered the 57-year-old woman inside a chest freezer, Capt. Bruce Roberts said.

“Every once in awhile, we get one of these,” Roberts said as he shook his head.

Although detectives couldn’t get the woman out of the freezer, there were no obvious signs of foul play. The man was sent to a local hospital for a mental evaluation.

“His underlying motivation, at least what he told us, was he wanted to preserve her dignity,” Roberts said.

“It’s unique and unusual, but at this point there is nothing criminal.”

An autopsy will be conducted once the woman’s body thaws out, he said. Spokane police haven’t named the man but said he was the woman’s caregiver. They weren’t sure if he lived at the same apartment.

The man walked into the Public Safety Building at 1:30 Tuesday. “When he came up to the desk, he seemed forthright but he seemed confused,” Roberts said.

The man told police that he arrived at the apartment about a week ago and found the woman dead. Roberts said it appeared the body had been in the freezer for about a week.

Unable to get the body out, detectives instead “took the whole freezer,” Roberts said.

“We didn’t want to impair any evidence.”

A manager at Chateaux, who gave his name only as Dave, said he didn’t know much about the situation.

Police spokesman Dick Cottam said the man told investigators that he had a relationship with the woman for several years but was not her husband.

“She apparently had several strokes and other medical problems during that time,” Cottam said.

Roberts said detectives were gathering medical records to see if they could help explain what happened.

They were having trouble locating the woman’s family and planned to release her name later, he said.