Body found in freezer at California home may have been woman missing for years, police say

SAN DIEGO  — A body found inside a chest freezer at a San Diego home last month has been identified as an 81-year-old woman who had lived at the residence, officials said Thursday.

Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones may have been missing or dead for up to nine years based on the investigation so far, according to the San Diego Police Department. The case was being investigated as a suspicious death. No arrests were immediately announced.

The body was discovered Dec. 22 by out-of-town family members staying at the home in the Allied Gardens area, NBC 7 San Diego reported.

Police said homicide detectives were investigating because of the unusual location of the body.

The Medical Examiner’s Office is still working to determine the cause of death.

The body did not have any obvious traumatic injuries, police said.