case file.
⠀.
The body was hidden for 18 months. The benefit payments kept coming.
⠀.
A woman has been sentenced to five years in prison after a man's remains were discovered inside a home where they were reportedly hidden for about 18 months.
⠀.
Susan Agnew and her husband, James, were accused of keeping James O'Neill's body in their home after his death in December 2023.
⠀.
Investigators say the couple continued to receive and use money from the ONeills' Social Security benefits.
⠀.
His remains were eventually discovered during a welfare check.
⠀.
The "Agnews" claimed that ONeill died in his sleep, but their decision to hide his body and continue to profit financially led to criminal proceedings.
⠀.
James Agnew previously pleaded guilty to tampering with the deceased's body and identity theft and was sentenced to five years in prison.
⠀.
Susan has now received her own five-year prison sentence.
⠀ The case raises a troubling question of how someone's disappearance could go unnoticed for so long while payments continued in his name.
⠀ Watch the sentencing proceedings ⠀.