Florida woman stuffed roommates’ body in trash to collect his benefits

A Florida woman was arrested Wednesday for hiding her roommate’s body in a trash can so she could collect his Social Security benefits, authorities said.

Michelle Haney, 48, told deputies she found her roommate, Jon Leonard, dead in their Bradenton mobile home in July, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

But instead of calling the sheriff’s office, Haney stuffed Leonard’s body in a closet for three weeks.

When that short-sighted plan became unbearable, she put the rotting corpse in a trash bin and left it with a neighbor, authorities said.

Haney allegedly told the neighbor she’d come back for the bin later.

But after two months, Haney still hadn’t shown up.

The neighbor decided to open the trash bin on Tuesday, and discovered Leonard’s still-decomposing body, authorities said.

Haney later admitted to deputies she had hidden Leonard’s body so she could collect his Social Security checks.

Authorities are investigating how Leonard died.

Haney has been charged with abuse of a human body, and additional charges are pending.

via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/13/florida-woman-stuffed-roommates-body-in-trash-to-collect-his-benefits/

Photo Credit: Manatee County Sheriff’s Office