A Texas couple has been arrested after their adult son with special needs was found dead and buried in a shallow grave in the backyard of their home in Burleson.
December Marie Mitchell and Jonathan James Mitchell ere both charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, the Burleson Police Department announced on Monday.
Police said they were requested to conduct a welfare check on October 14 for Jonathan Kinman, 26.
“During the welfare check, information was shared indicating that Kinman might be deceased and possibly buried in the backyard of the residence,” police said.
December Mitchell, Kinman’s mother, and Jonathan Mitchell, his stepfather, were arrested at that time, and police returned the following morning and found the shallow grave containing Kinman’s body in the backyard. They exhumed the body and transported it to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy was conducted.
Investigators are now awaiting the results of the autopsy.
The Mitchells remain in the Johnson County Jail, where they are being held on $250,000 bonds each.
Police declined to provide further information about the case, saying that the city of Burleson had determined that release of any further records “would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of an open or pending criminal matter,” Law&Crime reported.
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[Featured image: Jonathan Mitchell and December Mitchell/Johnson County Sheriff’s Office]
