PUNTA GORDA, FLORIDA: Unsettling bodycam footage of police confronting a Florida man living with his mother's decaying corpse has emerged online.
Police arrested and charged Justin Craver, 36, for failing to report the death of his mother, Layni Carver, 55. Carver had filed a no-contact order against her son weeks before her death.
Police came to conduct a well-being check on Layni Carver
Police came to Carver's home in the 29000 block of Turbak Drive in Punta Gorda on May 5 to conduct a welfare check since Carver' 's family could not contact her.
Police found the son living at her property when they came and asked if he had seen her lately. He initially denied that he knew about her whereabouts. However, the police noticed a foul odor coming from the home.
The six-minute footage begins with officers from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office going to Carver's home and repeatedly knocking on the door. A few moments after no response, Justin comes out. While questioning, one of the officers said to Justin, "I just want to make sure that mom is not stowed away in a closet or something bad."
He initially did not let the police inside the house, saying he did not have the keys since he had locked the door behind him.He eventually relented after the police assured him that they wanted to check on his mom and would not cause any trouble to him.
The footage does not contain visuals when the officer sees the decomposing body. The officer who found the body on the floor of one of the bedrooms asked Justin, "Are you going to tell me you didn't know mom was in there?"
"I smelt her before you were even outside and you're going to tell me mom is not in there when you know damn well where she was, so you were lying," said another officer. Without any struggle, Justin was submitted to being handcuffed and admitted that he knew his mother was dead.
According to the affidavit, her body "was starting to bloat, with marbled skin, and apparent skin slippage."
'Not a homicide,' said the sheriff's office
Justin was arrested under two charges, including Failing to Report a Death to the Medical Examiner and Resisting Officer Without Violence. Details regarding the circumstances of Carver's death are pending and will be revealed after an autopsy and toxicology report.
Justin is currently being held at the Charlotte County Jail.
