A woman was detained and released after the body of her 87-year-old mother was found inside a refrigerator in a Riverside home Sunday.
Police were called to a home in the 6600 block of New Ridge Drive for a welfare check about 9:30 a.m., Riverside Police Department Officer Ryan Railsback said.
Family members who live on the East coast called authorities because they had not heard from the victim for a couple of weeks.
The victim’s daughter, who a neighbor believed was living in the home as a caregiver, told arriving officers that her mother wasn’t home but her answers were inconsistent, prompting officers to conduct a search of the home, Railsback said.
Police said they found hoarder-like conditions in the home and eventually discovered the body inside a refrigerator in the garage.
Homicide investigators are working to determine whether the woman died of natural causes prior to being placed into the refrigerator.
Police initially said the victim was 97 years old but later updated her age.
Neighbor Randy Hayes, who was shocked by the discovery, said the two women were generally quiet neighbors who kept to themselves.
“I mean it doesn’t look good putting a body in a freezer,” Hayes said.
The victim’s daughter, who has not been identified, was detained and then later released, police said.
