A woman's body that was discovered by out-of-town family members inside a chest freezer at a home in Allied Gardens in December 2023 has been identified, officials said Thursday.
The body was identified by detectives as Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones. She would have been 81 years old at the time her remains were found, and investigators believe she had lived at the home at some point before the discovery.
It is still unclear when Haxby-Jones died. She may have been missing or dead for up to nine years, police said, based on the investigation. SDPD does not know of a missing persons report being filed, according to Lt. Jud Campbell.
The out-of-town family members are related to someone who currently lives at the residence located in the 4900 block of Zion Avenue. Haxby-Jones' relationship to the current residents is part of the ongoing investigation, Campbell said.
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The family members found the body in a running freezer on Dec. 22 and immediately called the San Diego Police Department. Officers from Eastern Division responded to the address on Zion Avenue around 11:45 a.m. that day, police said.
SDPD's Homicide Unit was investigating the incident because of the unusual location of the body.
The Medical Examiner's Office is working to determine the cause of death. The body did not have any obvious traumatic injuries, police said.
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The case is being investigated as a suspicious death, SDPD said.
Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to call SDPD's Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
No other details were immediately available.
