Body of Retired Sheriff’s Detective Found in Garage Freezer

The body of a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective was found stashed in a freezer in the garage of her Southern California home, authorities said Wednesday. Officers went to do a welfare check on Miriam Travis, 87, on Sunday morning after her daughter, who lives outside of California, reported she hadn’t heard from her mom in two months. Once there, cops were met by Travis’ other daughter, a 64-year-old named Carol Etchells, who began making “inconsistent statements with her story as to mom’s whereabouts,” an officer told NBC News.

Travis worked for the L.A. Sheriff’s Department from 1963 until her retirement in 1990. Her daughter, who lives in the home, was briefly detained for questioning, but has not been arrested—pending the results of an autopsy. Neighbors reportedly told authorities that Etchells would say that her mom was “in the house” when they inquired after her.