77-Year-Old Killed By Daughter, Granddaughter Who Hid Body For Almost 2 Years

An Arizona woman’s daughter and granddaughter were arrested Tuesday after a body, believed to be of the grandmother, was found.

Tara Aven, 46, and Briar Aven, 24, were taken into custody after the body, believed to be of 77-year-old Sandra Aven, was found at her Prescott home.

The incident came to light after a neighbor reported to police that she hadn’t seen Sandra in "quite some time.” Police reached the apartment and questioned Tara and her daughter who lived next door to Sandra. Briar told the police Sandra was "out of town and unavailable.” However, police found inconsistencies in the stories told by both women. They entered Sandra’s home to check on the missing woman and found the body, the AZ Central reported.

Tara and Briar were taken into custody and police said during interrogation they confessed to killing Sandra in late 2017. The accused also admitted to cashing monthly checks in Sandra’s name ever since.

While both the women were charged with first-degree murder, Tara was additionally accused of “facilitation of first-degree murder.” Police said both the women were held at Yavapai County Jail on suspicion of fraud schemes and evidence tampering, NBC-affiliated television station WRAL reported.

The investigation was ongoing and the body was not identified as of Tuesday night. It was also unclear if the women had an attorney.

Meanwhile, Prescott Police has asked anyone with information to contact Detective John Hanna at 928-777-1961.

The incident comes a few days after a woman and her daughter were arrested for killing five family members, including three children at their apartment in Philadelphia. Shana Decree, 46, and Dominique Decree, 19, were charged with five counts of homicide each after they admitted to the crime. The duo said they killed the relatives because “everyone in the household wanted to die.” The investigation was ongoing and the motive behind the murder was not known.