Mummified body discovered in bathtub by police investigating burglary attempt in Arizona

PHOENIX – A mummified body was found Saturday morning inside an Arizona home as police responded to a suspected burglary called in by neighbors.

Around 3:30 a.m.,  police in Bullhead City, Arizona, near the Nevada border, were called to a house about a possible burglary in progress, with neighbors saying they had not seen the woman who lived there in about a year and thought she moved out, according to police.

While on scene investigating the suspected burglar, police found the mummified remains of a person thought to be the homeowner in the bathtub, Bullhead City police said.

It is unknown how long the body had been inside the house, police said, adding that foul play is not suspected.

The homeowner was a 60-year-old woman who had been living at the residence for about eight years, according to Bullhead City police spokeswoman Emily Fromelt.  

The medical examiner had not completed a report as of Wednesday afternoon, Fromelt said. A positive identification will come through dental records, she said.

Police have not located a next of kin for the homeowner, and there were no welfare checks requested on the woman or any missing person reports filed on her, Fromelt said.

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The heat and suspected length of time the body was in the home appears to have contributed to its mummification, Fromelt said.

Found rummaging inside the home was Christine Lee Walters, 65, police said, who was taken into custody and charged with two counts of burglary. Police learned she had been at the home on Sept. 8 and removed purses, bags and clothing from the home to try and sell it online, according to the department.