BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (TCD) — A 30-year-old man was taken into custody this week after investigators discovered human remains in the backyard of the suspect’s home.
Fifty-two-year-old Donald Cash was reported missing to the Birmingham Police Department, and in late October, investigators upgraded this status from missing person to critical missing person “due to the lead detective uncovering facts that would lead us to believe Donald Cash is in danger.”
AL.com reports officials located Cash’s truck about a week later.
On Monday, Nov. 6, Birmingham Police Department detectives went to a home on the 1400 block of Brighton Road and executed a search warrant, which led them to the residence’s backyard. While looking through the area, investigators “observed what appeared to be a fresh pile of compost/topsoil in the backyard of the residence.”
A cadaver K9 arrived and alerted officers while at the compost pile. Officials started digging and soon discovered skeletal remains. On Nov. 7, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed the remains were human. Detectives learned the next day following an autopsy that the victim had been shot.
According to AL.com, Donald Cash’s son, Ledarius “Tre” Cash, was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 15, for abuse of a corpse. Investigators reportedly executed the warrant and found the shallow grave at Tre Cash’s home. The remains have not been positively identified yet but are believed to be his father’s.
Charging documents cited by AL.com allege Tre Cash “did knowingly and willfully abuse the corpse believed to be Donald Cash by burning and/or dismembering and/or improperly burying.”
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