Dismembered body found in bus freezer leads to man’s arrest, New Orleans police say
A Louisiana man is in jail after police found human remains hidden inside a bus freezer at his New Orleans home, according to multiple news outlets.
Benjamin Beale, 34, is charged with obstruction of justice of a death investigation after authorities say he refused to answer questions about the body of a missing woman discovered at his home, according to a New Orleans police news release.
Beale was arrested and booked into the Orleans Parish jail on Tuesday, Jan. 11, online records show.
He also faces charges of creating/operating a clandestine drug lab, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and illegal carrying of a weapon.
Officers executed a search warrant at his Ninth Ward home earlier that day in reference to the disappearance of a woman named Julia Dardar who had been missing since December, Nola.com reported. There they found a human torso with its head cut off in the freezer of a bus parked in Beale’s backyard.
Police said many of the body parts had been removed and were wrapped in plastic, according to WDSU.
The name of the woman whose corpse was found has not been released, WVUE reported. The coroner’s office is working to identify the body and determine a cause of death.
Beale was taken to NOPD headquarters for questioning, where he refused to give a statement, authorities said.
He remained in jail as of Wednesday, Jan. 12, and is scheduled to be arraigned in Orleans Parish Magistrate Court, WVUE reported.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 7:51 AM with the headline "Dismembered body found in bus freezer leads to man’s arrest, New Orleans police say."