Woman kept husband’s body in freezer in bedroom for nearly a year, Missouri docs say

A woman in Missouri kept her husband’s body in a freezer for almost a year, court documents say.

On Nov. 11, Joplin police were canvassing an area neighborhood in response to an arson call when they received some disturbing information, officials said in a news release.

Police were told that a man named Paul Barton had died on Dec. 30, 2018, and that his wife, Barbara Watters, 67, had been keeping his body in a freezer in a nearby home ever since, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Barton was 70 years old at the time, KODE reported, and neither Jasper nor Newton County coroners have Barton’s death on record, the affidavit says.

The next day, police searched the home and found a body in a freezer located in Watters’ bedroom, the affidavit says. Police have since confirmed the body belongs to Barton. An autopsy confirmed there was no foul play in his death, police say.

Officials on Wednesday launched a manhunt for Watters, who was ultimately arrested without incident Thursday at a home in Joplin, police said.

“She was standing in the yard there,” Capt. Nick Jimenez told the Joplin Globe.

She’s been charged with abandonment of a corpse and her bond is set at $100,000, according to court records.

Officials say the initial arson call was unrelated to this case.