Passers-by on Zion Avenue on Thursday made a shocking discovery in front of the Allied Gardens home where a body was found in a chest freezer in December.
Investigators have since said that the body in the cooler was that of a woman who would now be in her 80s whose name is on the deed for the property.
On Thursday, San Diego police Lt. Adam Sharki told NBC 7 that the "freezer connected to the case was taken by the medical examiner’s office," but that made the sight of a locking white refrigerator laid down on its back, a "Free" sign taped to the side, no less startling to members of the community.
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"I was driving along and I saw this freezer in of the house, the infamous house, that they found a body in a freezer, and I thought it was really bizarre and maybe somebody is playing a practical joke or something, because you would have thought that the police would have taken it in as evidence," said an Allied Gardens neighbor who declined to provide his name to NBC 7. "But it's here, sitting in front of the house. So I had to stop and look at it, and it's just unbelievable. I'm in shock right now. So I'll guess we'll find out what's going on and, you know, they'll find out what happened."
Body Found in Freezer in Allied Gardens
On Thursday morning, NBC 7 observed many pedestrians and people driving by taking in the sight.
Two police cars also drove by, with one SDPD SUV making an extended stop for several minutes.
It's not clear whether the home was targeted by morbid pranksters or if someone removed the fridge from the home and put it out on the sidewalk.
Body found in Allied Gardens Home in December
The corpse, which was first reported to San Diego police on Dec. 22, 2023, was found inside a home in the 4900 block of Zion Avenue. The body was discovered by out-of-town family visiting the home, according to police.
Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones was identified last week by investigators as the woman in the freezer. Haxby-Jones, who would have been 81 years old if she were still alive, was a former employee of Kaiser-Permanente.
Police have yet to identify who has been living in the home for the past nine years Haxby-Jones is believed to have been missing, but neighbors told NBC 7 that they have spotted a man they thought to be in his early 70s, tall and slim, with white hair, at the home.
"To be honest, right now we don't know what happened, so I'm just curious to find out," the Allied Gardens man told NBC 7 on Thursday, adding, "As neighbors, we would like to know what really happened."
Police are still actively working the case.
"The cause of death is still pending, so, yes, it’s too soon to say if it was or wasn’t a homicide," SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said last week.
