Body found in abandoned ‘haunted’ house’s deep freezer, South Carolina cops say

Police are investigating after a dead body was discovered inside a freezer at an abandoned South Carolina house, according to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.

A group of eight riding four-wheelers went to investigate the abandoned house, because they heard it was “haunted,” according to an incident report from the sheriff’s office.

At the house, one of the riders saw a deep freezer on the back porch, the report said. It was not working, and when he popped it open he was greeted with the smell of rotting flesh, and inside, a decomposing human body wearing blue jeans.

Police have since declared the house a crime scene, and the body has been turned over to the county coroner, according to police.

“We won’t know anything more until an autopsy is completed later this week,” Orangerburg sheriff’s spokesman Richard Walker said.

In a statement Tuesday, Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean D. Fogle said officials are working to identify the remains, and determine the sex and cause of death.

“This process will take some time as we methodically investigate this case to ensure proper closure and positive results,” the statement said.

The owner of the abandoned house is reportedly cooperating with investigators.

Madison Childers, a teenager, said the experience has left them shaken, WACH reported.

“It was very scary. You couldn’t tell it was a person, because... I think it had been in there for months,” Childers said, adding “there were maggots everywhere.”

The smell is something Childers and others in the group who made the grim find can’t forget.

“As soon as the seal broke loose, it was just a horrifying smell,” Corey Antley told WACH.

Riley Robinson told the station he had no idea what to expect when he arrived at the house with his friends.

“I didn’t know what to do, I was speechless,” Robinson told the outlet. “I heard that once you smell a human you can’t ever forget it. And I can still smell it right now.”

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to call 1-888-Crime-SC.

This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Body found in abandoned ‘haunted’ house’s deep freezer, South Carolina cops say."