CROSS LANES, W.Va. — Two men are in custody on charges of concealing a body as Kanawha County deputies continue to investigate how the woman died.
Samuel May, 44, and Arnold Hiller, 47, are charged with hiding the body of Cynthia Mudd, 71, of Cross Lanes, in a freezer following her death.
Kanawha County Chief Deputy Joe Crawford said during a Tuesday news conference that deputies found the freezer in the backyard of a residence on Saulton Drive where the three lived together.
“Detectives arrived on the scene and were able through their investigation to determine there was a freezer located in the back part of the residence on the property, away from the house, where a deceased corpse was in the freezer,” Crawford said.
The body was wrapped in a piece of carpet and a rope tied around it. There was a tarp over the freezer in the backyard.
It’s estimated the body may have been in the freezer for up to 30 days, Crawford said.
Mudd’s body is at the state Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Crawford said they hope to get a positive identification and cause of death.
A criminal complaint said May told deputies he killed Mudd but blacked out. Crawford said investigators don’t have enough now to charge either man with murder.
“We’re still awaiting some information back from the Medical Examiner’s Office that may help us or lead us to file additional charges,” Crawford said.
Hiller was arrested on Beckley on fraud charges over the weekend. He allegedly used Mudd’s credit card to make purchases. May was picked up on some separate charges by Charleston police. They are both in jail.
Crawford said detectives are trying to piece together a timeline focusing on the last time someone saw Mudd. He said detectives know that May and Hiller were together after the death.
“We know that they were in Kanawha City for at least a week. So if you (the public) think that you’ve seen them or talked to them then that’s maybe how we get resolution for the family,” Crawford said.
Deputies were first called to the residence on Aug. 18. They knocked on the door but no one answered. They were sent there the next day for a wellness check and Crawford said they searched the property that day and found the freezer.
Crawford said putting everything together is top priority.
“There’s a family out there that’s wanting answers and that’s our job–our job is to investigate and try to determine best what happened with the facts and help bring closure to the family,” Crawford said.