SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A newly unsealed autopsy report for the woman found dead in a freezer in the Allied Gardens neighborhood in Dec. 2023 says her husband held a friend at gunpoint to not only help him put the body in the freezer but also keep her death a secret.
Referencing "investigative information," the report from the Medical Examiner's Office says Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones' body was found on Dec. 22, 2023, after her husband, Robert Haxby, suffered a "devastating stroke."
When it was clear Robert Haxby was going to die, the friend came forward and reported the "unusual circumstances" to family members of the couple, and they called 911.
The San Diego Police Department responded to the home in the 4900 block of Zion Ave. and found a chest freezer sitting against the wall of the home under a tarp.
"The body of Ms. Haxby-Jones was found frozen inside the chest freezer and her death was confirmed," the autopsy report states.
The unsealed report does not have an exact cause of death for Haxby-Jones; however, there was a "lack of significant physical injuries."
Police say she could've been missing or dead for up to nine years, and she would have been about 72 years old at the time of her death. Investigators suspected her husband put her in the freezer to hide her death and keep collecting her Social Security benefits.
- PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police ID body found in Allied Gardens freezer, believe woman was missing for 9 years
"Although Ms. Haxby-Jones had heart disease that could explain her death, the reported coercion and prolonged concealment introduce a significant level of uncertainty about the circumstances of death and raise the possibility of foul play/homicide, despite the lack of significant physical injuries," the report states. "In particular, asphyxia by smothering, which may not leave evidence of trauma, cannot be ruled out by autopsy."
The report went on to say that Haxby-Jones reported a history of declining health and dementia, so she would have been vulnerable to suffocation from smothering.
On Dec. 12, 2024, SDPD issued a press release to say the suspicious death investigation is now inactive, pending any additional or new information brought to its attention.
In that release, officers said Robert Haxby died on Feb. 3, 2024. SDPD also said because it is unclear "beyond a reasonable doubt" when Haxby-Jones died, a criminal case of benefits fraud couldn't be established.
If you have any information about this case for police, you can reach out to the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
