Identified! CA - Out-of-town family finds unidentified body in freezer of home they were staying at - Dec 23, 2023 - Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones

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I don't find it that unusual that they wouldn't notice or remember.

There's a neighbor at the bottom of our hill that I haven't seen in ages. I have seen his car coming home late a time or two, but I couldn't actually swear he was driving it because he pulls directly into the garage. I see lights on at his house and the yard is taken care of. The last time our paths did cross face to face was early in the pandemic when we shouted briefly across the street to make sure we weren't getting too close to each other. He has a daughter but I haven't seen her in years; I think she might have been home for Christmas three years ago, maybe? He says she got a job in Memphis after graduation.

I'm starting to think I should make some kind of excuse to check on him.
Yet you remember the time-frames which is what I couldn't understand Mary's neighbor not remembering and we now know she hasn't seen Mary in about 9 yrs.
Yes, do check on you neighbor, this is a good reminder for us all to keep an eye out for and check-up on our older neighbors whether they live alone or not,
 
Finally, an anonymous neighbor speaks out but can't remember when she last saw Mary.
The same Mary she would greet whenever they crossed paths outside their homes.

How can you not remember when was the last time you saw a neighbor unless you yourself are dealing with memory loss?
About a year ago?
A long,long time ago,years , maybe 5 years?
But Marys not been seen for approx 9 years, one would think the neighbor would have said something about the length of time it actually is since she's seen Mary.

At least one news source contacted her family, from your article:

Scripps News San Diego contacted one of Haxby-Jones' relatives and was told the family wanted privacy and wouldn't be releasing any statement.
 
Yet you remember the time-frames which is what I couldn't understand Mary's neighbor not remembering and we now know she hasn't seen Mary in about 9 yrs.
Yes, do check on you neighbor, this is a good reminder for us all to keep an eye out for and check-up on our older neighbors whether they live alone or not,

My point is that most people don't know as much about their neighbors as they think they do. We all tend to think everything is okay until something really out of line happens.
 
Not sure if this is OT but never knew all that;s involved in the search for relatives of those who have passed on and remain unclaimed.
LA County keeps their remains in a morgue up to 3 yrs before they are cremated with a communal service.
A lot of caring people are involved in the process to try and give these people the dignity that their death should have.

This reminded me of what may be the cause of Mary's horrific end.
It would be the lesser of all the evils.

"The deceased may not have any surviving next-of-kin, or their loved ones can’t afford to pay for an individual burial."


 
At least one news source contacted her family, from your article:

Scripps News San Diego contacted one of Haxby-Jones' relatives and was told the family wanted privacy and wouldn't be releasing any statement.
I would think that the detectives are speaking to all of Mary's relatives and known friends.
No info. on what relative they contacted.
I would have expected LE to also have combed the neighborhood knocking on doors.
Still surprised that the event didn't warrant reporters to dig into who owns the residence.
Maybe finding someone in a freezer for 9ish years isn't such big news in San Diego?
 
I can't understand how they identified this poor lady so quickly. Surely they would have needed more than just a strong probability that it was the lady who used to live there but hasn't been seen for years?
iirc: Mary was discovered on 12-22-23.
It took about 2 weeks before they released her identity.
Dental records..DNA?
 
Regardless of who’s related to who (or not) did the current occupants never open this mysterious running freezer?
It's quite possible that knowing who was in there acted as a deterrent?
We have yet to find out who lived in the house.
If it was more than one person then the other(s) person very well may have known about Mary which would make them an accomplice to what?

Failure to report a death?
Murder?
Corpse desecration?

Mary could have been poisoned for all we know.
What we do know is that the out of town relatives aren't related to Mary.
 

Who owns the home?

According to public records reviewed by NBC 7, the property is currently owned by Mary M. Jones, who has had her name on the deed since August 1986. Presumably, Mary M. Jones and Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones are one and the same person. Joseph and Amparo Lucenro gave the house to Jones and Robert Haxby in 1986. In 1992, the name on the deed was altered to include just Jones.
 
How weird!! She may have been missing up to 9 years?? So these family members just decide to show up there after not hearing from her for possibly 9 years ? Who is this strange older man who was presumably living at the house?
The visiting people were not related to the deceased woman.

 
This article answers some questions. Apparently she was an employee at Kaiser at some point. I wonder if she retired 9 years ago.
Thanks for posting that detail. Several of my posts in the beginning mentioned Kaiser, the medical facilities and the hospital down the street from the house, and come to find out Mary once worked for Kaiser.

"Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones was identified Thursday as the woman in the freezer. Haxby-Jones, who would have been 81 years old if she were alive, was a former Kaiser Permanente employee."
The visiting people were not related to the deceased woman.
"Police say the out-of-town family members who discovered the body are related to someone who currently lives at the house on Zion Avenue. They're still investigating Haxby-Jones' relationship with the home’s current resident or residents."
 
Thanks for posting that detail. Several of my posts in the beginning mentioned Kaiser, the medical facilities and the hospital down the street from the house, and come to find out Mary once worked for Kaiser.

"Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones was identified Thursday as the woman in the freezer. Haxby-Jones, who would have been 81 years old if she were alive, was a former Kaiser Permanente employee."


"Police say the out-of-town family members who discovered the body are related to someone who currently lives at the house on Zion Avenue. They're still investigating Haxby-Jones' relationship with the home’s current resident or residents."

Well, that's confusing. Both the article I linked to and the one you linked to are NBC, both were posted yesterday, but they have conflicting information. One says definitively the out of towners weren't related to her, one says they're still investigating if they're connected. I guess we'll have to wait for further information directly from LE to clear things up.

MOO
 

This article answers some questions. Apparently she was an employee at Kaiser at some point. I wonder if she retired 9 years ago.
Thank You!
Finally, I was just complaining that the reporting out of San Diego hasn't even addressed who owns the house.
Maybe Mary Jones had married RH?
Maybe Mary Haxby is RH’s sister and married a Mr. Jones?
Chop-chop San Diego reporters.

"Who owns the home?"

"According to public records reviewed by NBC 7, the property is currently owned by Mary M. Jones, who has had her name on the deed since August 1986. Presumably, Mary M. Jones and Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones are one and the same person. JL and AL gave the house to Jones and RH in 1986. In 1992, the name on the deed was altered to include just Jones."
 
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Thank You!
Finally, I was just complaining that the reporting out of San Diego hasn't even addressed who owns the house.
Maybe Mary Jones had married RH?
Maybe Mary Haxby is RH’s sister and married a Mr. Jones?
Chop-chop San Diego reporters.

"Who owns the home?"

"According to public records reviewed by NBC 7, the property is currently owned by Mary M. Jones, who has had her name on the deed since August 1986. Presumably, Mary M. Jones and Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones are one and the same person. JL and AL gave the house to Jones and RH in 1986. In 1992, the name on the deed was altered to include just Jones."
According to reports Mary would have been 81 now which gives a 1942 birth.
She would have been 46 when she and RH were gifted (?) the Zion St. residence.
Where they divorced in 92' And Mary got the house?
Who are the couple who gave them the house?
 
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I think it's a rare human being that doesn't snoop at least a little. Bathroom cabinets, especially.

But I think it more likely the common use fridge/freezer was full, so someone took the extra stuff to that extra freezer, and there goes the holidays.

Interested to hear the explanation for this one. 'It was in there when I bought it' isn't going to cut it...

MIO
I agree with you, iamshadow21. I recall reading in the Melbourne newspaper back in the 1990's there was an article about a case in America,(Cannot recall the name/or where) of a man whose wife and Stepson had left him short time early ( a trip,/break up of marriage) not quite sure but she did inform people she and son were going. He had a Formal Dinner(May been Thanksgiving or Christmas) where he invited a lot of people/Neighbours. One kind soul thought to freeze the food which was a lot of leftover/they had been snopping around earlier during the party they notice the freezer was full but there was a brand new deep chest Freezer in the house so the person Freezer so they arranged to bring the leftover food and other "Gifts" to stock up to tide and help Gentleman. She lifted the lid, found the Wife and Stepson inside. There goes the Formal Dinner.
I remember this article well as just before COVID Hit with Lockdowns we had, My Understanding Partner wanted a Deep Chest Freezer in the Laundry, I was against it, it was a debate which lasted for a few months which family and friends did get brought into, before I gave in. It was months before I stopped calling it ,' A Future Crime Scene".
 
Neighbors told NBC 7 on Thursday that the only person they recall seeing at the home is an older man. They described the man as being in his early 70s, tall and slim, with white hair. Spotting lights on in the house, NBC 7 attempted to contact the resident or residents on Thursday but nobody replied to a knock at the door.

Neighbors who offered the description of the man told NBC 7 that they rarely, if ever, saw him leave the home, nor did they observe anyone else coming to the home. They added that they thought he was not particularly friendly. Also, one couple in the neighborhood said he gave off "bad vibes."

and...

Investigators have not explained the visiting relatives' familial relation to the resident or residents currently living in the home. At this time, all that is known about them is that they were visiting from "out of town," according to police.

SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell told NBC 7 on Thursday: "Her relationship to that house and its current residents is part of the ongoing investigation. I’m limited in how much I can disclose right now, as we are soliciting information from the public."
 
'Caregiver' moved into the house, then took over? If so, RH is fortunate imho.

Old genealogist here, agree completely with the 1942/43 birth year. Cough cough. The surname Jones is no picnic. There are more Haxbys than I expected.

I wonder if our Mary Margaret Haxby was British?

In my usual sources -- there is basically just death information. imho there should be more!

Worker at Kaiser as a medical professional -- anyone have access to professional licensing in California? IF we could figure out if the deceased was a physician, a nurse, a physical therapist -- that might lead us to more information.

@LotsaLatte , calling a very skilled genealogist to the fray and we have others. Please call any that could help us.

@gitana1 , California family law attorney. Where else should we be looking?

@Tink56 iirc this is local?

jmho ymmv lrr
 
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