Florida woman stored dead man’s body in trash can to collect Social Security: sheriff

A 49-year-old Florida woman, known as Michelle Haney has been charged with storing a dead man’s body in a trash can in order to collect his Social Security benefits. 

Sheriff Rick Wells stated, “It’s a sad day when you treat someone like a piece of trash when he deserved a proper burial and deserved to have his family with him to mourn.” 

Haney said that she found Leonard dead in her home in July, but she never contacted the authorities. An arrest affidavit says that Haney retrieved the body from a closet and stuffed it in a trash can weeks after the death. Haney then transported the body to a neighbor’s when she moved out. 

The neighbor alerted authorities when he found Leonard’s body while emptying his trash. The affidavit also alleges that Haney admitted to cashing in Leonard’s $1,200 monthly Social Security benefits following his death. 

See Robert Gearty, Florida woman stored dead man’s body in trash can to collect Social Security: sheriff, Fox News, December 12, 2020.