Michael Shane Halstead and Karen Tysinger Halstead (Henry County Sheriff’s Office)
An Alabama couple were arrested over the weekend after the “severely decomposed” dead body of their 19-year-old son was allegedly found stuffed in a freezer behind the home they had recently moved out of. Michael Shane Halstead, 44, and Karen Tysinger Halstead, 43, were taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count each of abuse of a corpse, authorities announced.
Law&Crime spoke to Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship who confirmed the arrests and said that additional charges may be levied against the couple one more evidence is obtained.
“We’re only on day one of the investigation so other potential charges could still be pending, including murder,” he said.
According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies at about 11:37 a.m. on Oct. 29 responded to a home located in the 200 block of Bradford Drive after a caller told the emergency dispatcher that they had just found a dead body on the property, the Dothan Eagle reported.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located a “severely decomposed body” inside an overturned freezer that had been left in the backyard of the home. Authorities said that the remains had tentatively been identified as being 19-year-old Logan Michael Halstead.
“This incident is a very tragic situation and our agency is committed to finding out the truth,” Sheriff Blankenship reportedly said in a statement released after the arrests. “The investigation is still ongoing and information will continue to be released as the case progresses.”
Several hours after the discovery of the body, authorities located Michael and Karen Halstead. The couple were in Jack, Alabama, about 50 miles west of the home. They were both transported back to Henry County, where they were interviewed by detectives and then booked into Henry County Jail.
According to a report from Dothan, Alabama ABC affiliate WDHN, Blankenship said that authorities believe Logan Halstead’s body had been sitting in the freezer since late August.
The station further reported that Michael and Karen Halstead had been renting the house but moved away without paying rent sometime after August 2023. The individual who was the Halstead’s landlord then sold the home to its current owners who reportedly discovered the body in the freezer while cleaning the newly acquired property.
Authorities transported Logan Halstead’s body to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences where a medical examiner is reportedly scheduled to perform an autopsy.
The Headland Police Department, Dothan Police Department, and Alabama State Police all assisted HCSO in the investigation.
The Halsteads are currently being held without bond and are scheduled to make their first court appearance Monday afternoon.
Authorities are urging anyone with information relevant to the case to contact HCSO at (334) 585-3131.
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