Nothin' says "I love You, Mom" quite like putting her decomposing body in storage...
Brothers kept mom's body in storage
Michael O'Malley
Plain Dealer Reporter
Berea -Two brothers hid their mother's body for nine months, first in a garage and later in a rented storage locker, keeping the death a secret so they could steal her Social Security checks, police said yesterday.
Brett Burton, 34, formerly of Cleveland, admitted to Berea po lice that he and his brother, Christian Burton, 39, had been cashing their mother's govern ment checks since she died.
The decomposed body of Di ane Burton, 62, was found Tues day at Public Storage on West 117th Street in Cleveland.
Brett Burton told police his mother died of natural causes at the home she rented on West 87th Street in Cleveland. He said he stored her body in the garage until about three weeks ago, then moved it to the rental stor age facility.
"They put all their stuff in storage, including Mom, and were living in a hotel," said Be rea Detective Chuck Gute.
Both brothers were in Berea City Jail yesterday.
Brett Burton is charged with forgery, theft and disorderly conduct.
He is also charged with posses sion of marijuana and drug para phernalia and having an open container of beer. Police are try ing to determine how much money was stolen.
Christian Burton has not been charged.
Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Donna Bell said the body was in a storage locker 10 feet by 20 feet. She declined to disclose further details, including how the body was stored.
The Cuyahoga County coro ner's office said it would take some time to determine the cause of death because of the condition of the body.
The tale began to unfold Sun day, when Berea police found Brett Burton stumbling drunk in a Metroparks woods next to the police station.
Burton was carrying three of his mother's Social Security checks along with her identifica tion and a key to the storage shed, police said.
He told police that he and his brother were living at the Kings Inn on Pearl Road in Strongs ville. Police arrested Christian Burton at the hotel and discov ered he was wanted in Utah for parole violation stemming from a drunken-driving charge. He too was carrying a key to the shed.
"Both of them are basically transient and homeless," said Gute. "Brett admitted that part of the reason for not reporting his mother's death was that he needed a little money to get back on his feet."
The brothers checked into the Kings Inn about two weeks ago, sharing a room at a weekly rate of $225, said the hotel's manager A.J. Patel.
"They came in a cab," he said. "They've been quiet and keep to themselves."
Patel said he had no idea the brothers were in jail. He said they arrived with few belongings, carrying only duffel bags. "We'll have to pack up their stuff and put it in storage," he said.
:nono:
Brothers kept mom's body in storage
Michael O'Malley
Plain Dealer Reporter
Berea -Two brothers hid their mother's body for nine months, first in a garage and later in a rented storage locker, keeping the death a secret so they could steal her Social Security checks, police said yesterday.
Brett Burton, 34, formerly of Cleveland, admitted to Berea po lice that he and his brother, Christian Burton, 39, had been cashing their mother's govern ment checks since she died.
The decomposed body of Di ane Burton, 62, was found Tues day at Public Storage on West 117th Street in Cleveland.
Brett Burton told police his mother died of natural causes at the home she rented on West 87th Street in Cleveland. He said he stored her body in the garage until about three weeks ago, then moved it to the rental stor age facility.
"They put all their stuff in storage, including Mom, and were living in a hotel," said Be rea Detective Chuck Gute.
Both brothers were in Berea City Jail yesterday.
Brett Burton is charged with forgery, theft and disorderly conduct.
He is also charged with posses sion of marijuana and drug para phernalia and having an open container of beer. Police are try ing to determine how much money was stolen.
Christian Burton has not been charged.
Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Donna Bell said the body was in a storage locker 10 feet by 20 feet. She declined to disclose further details, including how the body was stored.
The Cuyahoga County coro ner's office said it would take some time to determine the cause of death because of the condition of the body.
The tale began to unfold Sun day, when Berea police found Brett Burton stumbling drunk in a Metroparks woods next to the police station.
Burton was carrying three of his mother's Social Security checks along with her identifica tion and a key to the storage shed, police said.
He told police that he and his brother were living at the Kings Inn on Pearl Road in Strongs ville. Police arrested Christian Burton at the hotel and discov ered he was wanted in Utah for parole violation stemming from a drunken-driving charge. He too was carrying a key to the shed.
"Both of them are basically transient and homeless," said Gute. "Brett admitted that part of the reason for not reporting his mother's death was that he needed a little money to get back on his feet."
The brothers checked into the Kings Inn about two weeks ago, sharing a room at a weekly rate of $225, said the hotel's manager A.J. Patel.
"They came in a cab," he said. "They've been quiet and keep to themselves."
Patel said he had no idea the brothers were in jail. He said they arrived with few belongings, carrying only duffel bags. "We'll have to pack up their stuff and put it in storage," he said.
:nono:
