JIM THORPE, Pa. — On Monday afternoon, Jim Thorpe Police received a call from the son of Laura Spencer requesting a welfare check, telling officers he hadn't heard from his mother since July 21.
Spencer's son told police his sisters went to their mother's home in the 200 block of South Street and asked 65-year-old Peter Davis where Spencer was. Davis allegedly told them their mother had passed away and that, ''he had to do what he had to do" and "he needed the money."
When officers showed up at the home looking for Spencer, Davis told them she wasn't there, but his son had a different story.
Davis' son told police on the morning of July 22, he found Spencer lying on the couch in the living room, her body stiff and cold.
When police asked Davis' son how Spencer died, he said, "She drank herself to death."
He told police when he arrived home from work that day, her body was nowhere to be found, but there was a new row of plants in the backyard.
Police obtained a search warrant and later found a woman's body buried in the backyard.
Davis was arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct after reportedly getting into a scuffle with police officers.
Police said Davis was screaming, "I couldn't afford funeral services," when they placed him in a holding cell.
An autopsy was scheduled for Monday to determine the cause of death and positively identify the body found in that backyard. There's still no word from Jim Thorpe Police on if Davis will face more charges in this case.