St Louis man discovers baby’s corpse in a box in the freezer while clearing his late mother’s home and now believes the infant may be his older sister born 47 years ago
- Adam Smith found a corpse in a freezer inside mother Barbara’s St Louis, Missouri apartment while sorting through her items after she died July 21
- Smith, 37, asked for decades what was inside but Barbara would tell him it was a wedding cake top or avoided answering
- Box was behind a Salisbury Steak Deep Dish pie and wrapped in white plastic
- He was shocked to feel a foot, and saw hair and skin attached when he opened it
- Smith believes the body may have been kept for 47 years because his mother mentioned having a daughter who died and relatives mentioned twins
- He is awaiting autopsy results to find out whether the baby was born alive
- Smith said he is ‘confused, angry’ and wants to find closure as cops investigate
A Missouri man has discovered what he believes to be the mummified body of his elder sister in his late mother’s freezer behind a pie, after decades of probing her about what was inside a mystery box.
Adam Smith says his mother Barbara avoided answering his questions for decades about what was stashed away in the container including after he moved into her St Louis apartment when she was diagnosed with cancer.
After her passing last week, Smith finally looked investigated what he thought might be cash, and was shocked to find the corpse of a baby.
‘It still had skin hair and everything it was mummified,’ Smith told KSDK about the moment he reached in and felt a foot on Sunday. ‘After that, I freaked out, put it in the box and called police right away.’
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Adam Smith (right) found a corpse in a freezer inside his late mother Barbara’s (left) St Louis, Missouri apartment while sorting through her items after she died last week. He believes she may have kept her daughter frozen for 47 years
The box was tucked away behind a Banquet Salisbury Steak Deep Dish pie and wrapped in white plastic
The box was tucked away behind a Banquet Salisbury Steak Deep Dish pie and wrapped in white plastic.
Smith explained that he frozen body of an infant was wrapped in a pink fleece.
Police arrived at the apartment around 1am.
‘The head homicide guy was stumped,’ Smith told KMOV. ‘He literally looked at me and said, “This is a good one”.’
As Barbara had mentioned a sibling passing away before Smith was born, he believes it may have been his mother’s child.
He said only recently his relatives told him his mother – who died July 21 – in fact had twins but lost one at birth and gave the other one up for adoption.
‘I’m 37… and I was always told it was a wedding cake top. It turns out it was a baby,’ Smith continued. ‘We’re saying 46 or 47 [years] — that’s how long. I’m assuming it is my sister, been in a box in a freezer for this long.’
Smith, 37, asked for decades what was inside the box in the freezer but Barbara would tell him it was a wedding cake top or avoided answering
Smith was sorting through Barbara’s items at her home after she died following a cancer battle
He was shocked to feel a foot, and saw hair and skin when he opened box with this knife
Smith is awaiting autopsy results to see whether the child was born alive. He’s frustrated he may never find out what happened.
Smith added to Fox 2 that the find is ‘insane’ and admitted he has ‘so many thoughts’.
‘Who absolutely keeps their own child in a box for this long and never talks about it?’ he said to the network.
Police said the investigation is still active.
‘I’ve asked her several times, it was either a no-no conversation or [she] blew me off. My mom has always been secretive about things [in] life,’ he added to KSDK. ‘I’m more confused, angry. I just want to find closure, I want to find more answers.’
Anyone with information can contact the homicide division on 314-444-5371 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.