Man Stores Dead Girlfriend’s Body In Freezer, New Woman Assumes Her Identity

A man in Youngstown, Ohio moved into his girlfriends home after storing her body in a freezer, according to ABC affiliate News 5 Cleveland. Another woman reportedly aided the man, later moving into his girlfriend's home and assuming her identity. The pair also used the dead woman's credit cards and took responsibility of caring for her dogs.

Arturo Novoa, 31, and Katrina Layton, 34, were arrested after the woman's remains were discovered by the Youngstown Police Department (YPD) July 29 at a home in Campbell, Ohio. Novoa and Layton were charged with corpse abuse, which can result in either a misdemeanor of the second degree or a felony of the fifth degree under Ohio law, depending on the severity of the violation. The pair also received a bond of $1 million, which was set by a local judge.

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Dana Lantz, a Youngstown City Prosecutor, issued the official police complaint Tuesday to International Business Times, claiming it "details the essential facts that we can publicly disclose."

Kenney Eshenbaugh alerted the YPD upon finding the woman's body, claiming he knew Novoa by the alias "Arturo Gonzalez." Eschenbaugh was a friend of Novoa.

Novoa contacted Eschenbaugh and asked to leave his freezer in Eshenbaugh 's basement, claiming his electricity had been shut off and he didn't want the meat inside it to spoil. Eschenbaugh allowed Novoa to leave the freezer at his home July 24, but Eschenbaugh noticed a padlock attached to the freezer the following day.

Acting on her husband's suspicions, Eshenbaugh's wife opened the freezer July 29 and discovered the woman's corpse. The YPD arrived at the scene and retrieved the woman's remains from several bags inside the freezer.

Shannon Graves, the victim who lived with Novoa, was reported missing June 22. The complaint document stated that "the investigation revealed facts sufficient to presume Shannon Graves is deceased and was the victim of foul play." Evidence that supported this presumption included Novoa being caught using Graves' car and Graves' cell phone being in possession of Novoa's new live-in girlfriend, Layton.

Official identification and cause of death are still to be determined.

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Layton, Novoa's new live-in girlfriend, claimed she purchased a new freezer from Walmart July 27. She insisted the new freezer was designated for storing food in their new residence and claimed they opted to use a freezer instead of a refrigerator. Although she claimed to not have knowledge of the original freezer's relocation to Eshenbaugh's home, the report claims "further investigation revealed that not only did Layton pay for the freezer, but she knew that it was taken to" Eshenbaugh's basement.

According to the legal documents, the witness confirmed that Layton had been in "constant contact" with Novoa when he moved the freezer to Eshenbaugh's home. She also supplied Novoa with an extension cord to plug the freezer in at its new location.

Novoa claimed to friends that Graves terminated their relationship and left him for another man, according to NBC affiliate WFMJ.

Graves' sister, Debbie DePaul, told WFMJ Monday that Graves was in a relationship Novoa leading up to her disappearance. She reportedly missed her sister's birthday and a family Easter event, which led her family to a file missing person report. Graves was then listed as a missing person on the Ohio Attorney General Mark DeWine's website.

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