A Texas man has been arrested after authorities discovered his father’s body in a freezer inside the suspect’s garage. The man allegedly impersonated his deceased father during a conversation with police over a Ring camera.
David Michael Gibson, 48, was taken into custody following the grim discovery, according to reports from KENS 5. which cited information from law enforcement. The incident came to light after concerned family members requested a welfare check on the victim, whose identity has not been released. They reported that they had not heard from him in several months, prompting the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office to investigate.
On August 8, deputies responded to the San Antonio home where they encountered someone speaking through the Ring doorbell camera, claiming to be the man they were looking for. However, the responding deputy quickly sensed something was amiss, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“Somebody answered as if it was him, but the deputy got the sense that it was not him,” Sheriff Javier Salazar said during a press briefing. Authorities later identified the person on the camera as the victim’s son, David Gibson.
The deputy’s suspicions were confirmed when family members, who were later able to enter the home, noted that the voice on the Ring camera did not belong to their father. Inside the home, they discovered a refrigerator that raised concerns. When the deputy inspected the refrigerator, he found human remains that were “badly decomposed,” Sheriff Salazar revealed. Gibson was subsequently arrested at the scene, per the KSAT.
As of now, it remains unclear whether the victim died as a result of foul play. Sheriff Salazar did not disclose how long the body had been stored in the freezer, but family members indicated that they had not seen the victim for several months.
Gibson has been charged with tampering with a corpse, according to the reports. At this time, it is not clear whether he has entered a plea or secured legal representation to speak on his behalf. The investigation continues as authorities work to determine the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death and the events leading up to the discovery of his body.