[UPDATE] Florida Woman Arrested After Friend Storing Her Trash Can Discovers Dead Man Inside, Woman Was Collecting His SSI Benefits
Earlier this week, we reported that a Florida man found a dead man inside a trash can he was storing for a friend. Authorities have now arrested the Florida woman who owned the can. Turns out, she was collecting the dead man’s SSI benefits.
On Wednesday (Dec. 9), 48-year-old Michelle Haney was arrested for hiding her roommate’s body in a trash can in order to collect his Social Security Insurance benefits. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office say Haney found her roommate, Jon Leonard, dead in their Bradenton mobile home in July. Instead of phoning police, she stuffed Leonard’s body in a closet for three weeks.
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After the corpse continued to rapidly rot, Haney threw the body in a trash bin and had a friend stow it away for her, allegedly telling him, she’d be back for the bin later — which turned into two-plus months. On Tuesday (Dec. 8), the man started to notice a foul smell, he opened the can, found the body and alerted police of his findings. During the investigation, Haney eventually admitted to deputies that she’d hidden Leonard’s body so she could collect his Social Security checks. She’s since been charged with abuse of a human body, with additional charges pending.
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