Tempe man arrested after skeletal remains found in backyard freezer

Tempe police arrested a man after an investigation revealed human skeletal remains inside a freezer in his backyard.

Detectives received a tip before contacting Joseph Hill Jr., 51, about a possible dead body in his backyard freezer. On Tuesday, they asked to view the freezer's contents.

Hill declined to let police look but noted that his father had died four years ago. His mother died years ago in hospice, Tempe police said.

After obtaining a search warrant, officers found the body and arrested Hill. He is facing two charges: concealment of a body, a class 5 felony, and failure to report a death, a class 2 misdemeanor.

Hill Jr.'s father's death cannot be confirmed until the remains are identified to be his, Tempe police said.

The remains were with the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.