Police: Woman arrested after found living with missing man’s decomposing body

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG/Gray News) - Ohio authorities say a woman is under arrest after she was found living with a missing man’s body in her apartment.

According to the Toledo Police Department, 39-year-old Josephine Torres has been charged with abusing a corpse after officers discovered her living with a decomposing body.

Authorities did not immediately identify the body but said it was a 50-year-old man who had been reported as missing in the area on Tuesday.

A co-worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, told WTVG that they had reported the man missing and called police on Wednesday after they spotted his car.

“I was on the phone with 911 and something in me said maybe they’re going back to where his last known address was,” the man’s co-worker said. “So, I drove back there.”

The co-worker said he was hopeful to find him once at the apartment, but he smelled a strong odor coming from the residence when police were inside.

“When they opened the door to the apartment, even being downstairs and away from the door, the smell was horrific. I mean, it was something I’ve never smelled in my life,” the co-worker shared.

Police said Torres had been living in the apartment with the man’s body and her cat.

“I heard them [officers] talking to a female and the next thing I knew they brought her down in handcuffs,” the man’s co-worker said.

Currently, the coroner has not released the identity of the man or his cause of death.

Torres appeared in court on Thursday. She was released on bond while awaiting her next court appearance.

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