A man was taken into custody after a dismembered body was found in a freezer in New Orleans. 

Authorities were investigating the disappearance of a woman, named Julia Dardar when they made the discovery. The 36-year-old was reported missing on December 23. Her estranged husband had told the investigators that she had last been known to be staying with a man named Benjamin Beale. 

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He had told local media that said that she had long suffered from addiction and mental health issues. 

“We hope to find her alive, but it’s not looking good at the moment,” he told Fox 8. 

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As part of the investigation, officers searched the property of Benjamin Beale and found two painted buses parked on the property. While searching one of the buses, they found a headless human torso in the freezer. Neither the identity of the person nor the cause of death was immediately determined.

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The 34-year-old was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice, creating/operating a clandestine drug lab, illegal carrying of weapons, distribution of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. However, no charges were filed in the death itself.

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A neighbor expressed sorrow for the victim’s family.

“The fact that it happened next door is incredible. I cannot believe it,” Tracey Pearson said, Associated Press reported. 

Court records weren’t available Wednesday to show whether Beale had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. The accused remained in jail as of Wednesday and was scheduled for arraignment in Orleans Parish Magistrate Court. 

With inputs from The Associated Press