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No signs foul play in death of man found in Missouri freezer

Posted at 6:28 AM, Nov 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-18 08:28:12-05

JOPLIN, MO — Authorities say an autopsy has found no signs of foul play in the death of a man whose body was found in a freezer in his wife's bedroom inside the couple's southwest Missouri home.

Joplin police say the autopsy also confirmed that the man was Paul Barton, whose wife, 67-year-old Barbara Watters, is charged with abandonment of a corpse. The body was found last week after a witness told police that Barton's body had been in Watters' freezer since his death on Dec. 30, 2018.

No details were provided about how the witness knew the couple.

Though she faces charges for not properly taking care of Barton after his death, no charges have been filed over the cause of his actual death. Police said before Watters' arrest on Thursday that she has unspecified "mental disorders" and is known to carry firearms.

Police say the investigation is ongoing.