SAN ANTONIO, TX – In a chilling case out of San Antonio, Texas, authorities have detained a man after the body of his deceased father was discovered encased in ice within a freezer in the garage. Police believe the son may have attempted to conceal his father’s death by impersonating him during an interaction with law enforcement via a video doorbell system.

David Michael Gibson, 48, finds himself at the center of this macabre discovery. The gruesome find came about when concerned relatives, having lost communication with the elderly family member for an extended period, requested a welfare check on August 8. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar informed the public of the incident, though the name of the deceased has yet to be disclosed.

Deputies arrived at the residence intending to conduct the welfare check and were confronted with a man claiming to be the subject of their visit through a video doorbell. However, the deputy on the scene grew suspicious, suspecting that the individual on the display was not who he professed to be, Salazar revealed during a news briefing.

Family members, when later interviewed, confirmed that the voice they heard over the Ring doorbell did not belong to their father. Upon gaining entry into the residence, they discovered a freezer that appeared out of the ordinary. Salazar shared that when law enforcement investigated the refrigerator, they uncovered human remains that were badly decayed.

While Gibson was apprehended and charged with the manipulation of a corpse, it remains undetermined whether the victim succumbed to homicide. Sheriff Salazar withheld comment on how long the body might have been stored in the freezer, though family members have indicated they had not seen the deceased in several months.

Details on whether Gibson has mounted a legal defense or entered a plea were not immediately available.