Patty White Murders Friend for Money, Leaves Body Under Christmas Presents

Patty White has confessed to killing long-time friend Michele O'Dowd and to leaving her friend's body under a pile of Christmas presents in her Jacksonville, Fl. home.

The 40-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly murdering her friend after she admitted to the crime Saturday in York, South Carolina. She was a passenger in a car driven by her mother when police pulled the pair over to interview White, reported CBS Charlotte.

From the time we were notified, the ball rolled pretty quickly, Lieutenant Rich Caddell told WBTV.

Police have not yet filed charges, but White is being held at the York County Detention Center. She is expected to be extradited back to Florida for her trial.

67-year old O'Dowd's body was found by her twin-brother, Phil Axt, Friday morning. Axt told WBTV that his sister's home was ransacked and she was left dead on her bed with Christmas presents covering her body.

There is nothing worse than when you walk inside and find your own sister brutally murdered over a stupid debit card, the brother told WTEV-News.

According to police, O'Dowd was found beaten and strangled, her apartment was ransacked and her debit cards were missing. It seems White stole two of O'Dowd's debit cards following the murder and attempted to withdraw money from two ATMs near O'Dowd's home. Surveillance footage at the ATMs verifies that White tried to access O'Dowd's accounts.

Family members report that White was a former roommate and family friend of O'Dowd's, who would let White stay at her home when she fell on tough times or had no place to go. They believe something happened between the two friends to illicit a violent reaction from White.

Whatever took place inside that apartment went horribly wrong and [White] wound up beating and killing [O'Dowd], Jacksonville police said during a press conference over the weekend. Police believe White had planned to rob O'Dowd.

Family members are stunned that White would have killed Aunt Mickey.

You hear that she made the confession. It's just so surreal, my aunt would have given her the money, O'Dowd's niece Donna Reed told WTEV-News.