A Texas couple accused of burying their autistic son’s corpse in their backyard boldly claimed that he died at the hospital, but investigators said they couldn’t find any records of his death.
December Marie Mitchell and Jonathan James Mitchell were arrested after authorities showed up to do a welfare check for their special needs son, 26-year-old Jonathan Kinman, on Oct. 14 and learned he was dead.
During the check-in, December allegedly told police that she had taken Kinman to a local hospital, where he died. She did not specify the date he died or what caused his unexpected death, according to the arrest affidavit.
She also said she didn’t have any medical paperwork for Kinman’s death and claimed they had him cremated.
Authorities tried to follow the mother’s claims about the hospital visit, but couldn’t dig up any records confirming his death through the hospital or the medical examiner’s office.
That same day, Jonathan, who is Kinman’s stepfather, shared a vague post on Facebook alluding to his passing.
“So even at your strongest, certain things can make a man, father, and friend break you down to your core. I loved you so much more than I can express even if I didn’t always show it, but my heart is broken in pieces right now. I know [you’re] in a better place, but it still hurts,” he wrote.
In the comments, Jonathan added that “our son passed away on Sunday” — two days before the welfare check.
Shortly after police wrapped up with December, Jonathan reached out around 6:30 p.m. and reported that he’d learned Kinman was actually buried in their backyard, according to the affidavit.
Local police returned to the home with Texas Rangers the following day and found Kinman’s body wrapped in a camouflage blanket inside a shallow grave.
December had apparently told their neighbor that she’d buried her son in the backyard. The neighbor threatened to call 911 and report it if the couple didn’t, so Jonathan phoned authorities, according to the arrest affidavit.
While officers were parsing through the home with a dog from their K9 unit, December started to panic and told Jonathan that “the dog was going in to find him on me…it was all me…that dog was going in to find him,” according to the affidavit.
Other horrified neighbors told CBS News that they didn’t know Kinman existed and that the couple only ever talked about their daughter and grandchild.
“Never have we ever saw the kid… never did she ever mention that there was one.. we never saw anybody come and go with them,” neighbor Betty Noyola, who also has a special needs brother and grandson, told the outlet.
The couple was both cuffed and charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse. They were booked in the Johnson County Jail and are held on a $250,000 bond each.
Kinman’s corpse was sent to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
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