BRADENTON, Fla. — A Manatee County woman is facing charges after authorities said she hid her roommate’s body for months to continue collecting his social security payments.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the body of 40-year-old Jon Christopher Leonard was found Tuesday on his property at the Windmill Manor retirement community at 4920 Windmill Manor Avenue.
Authorities said a neighbor found the body in a trash can.
What You Need To Know
- Manatee County woman accused of hiding roommate's body to keep getting his Social Security check
- Deputies said Jon Christopher Leonard was found Tuesday on his property at the Windmill Manor retirement community
- Michelle Haney charged with abuse of a body
Leonard’s former roommate, Michelle Haney, reportedly asked the neighbor to look after the trash can for her when she was forced to move in September.
Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said Leonard died sometime in July.Authorities have not said how Leonard died.
Officials said Haney, 48, hid Leonard’s body first in her home, then in the trash can, to collect his $1,200 a month in Social Security benefits.
Haney has been charged with abuse of a dead body.
"She treated him like a piece of garbage, and because of that, she has been charged with this crime,” Wells said.