Indiana man accused of killing elderly woman, stuffing body in freezer

A 47-year-old Indiana man has been charged with stabbing an elderly woman to death and then stuffing her body into a freezer at her Indiana home, officials said.

Daniel Shoffner was charged with murder on Tuesday in the death of Birdie Elder, LaPorte County Deputy Prosecutor Chris Fronk told the Los Angeles Times.

Elder’s body was found Monday in the 3-foot-tall freezer at her home in La Porte, a city of 22,000 in the northern part of the state, Fronk said.

The body was not mutilated, Fronk said, and the victim was seated inside the freezer.

Police became aware of the slaying after Shoffner’s daughter called 911, saying her father had murdered someone, Fronk said. He was immediately arrested and police filed a preliminary murder charge against him, La Porte Police Lt. Scott Aftowski said.

Shoffner later admitted stabbing Elder to death in a statement made to investigators, according to Fronk, who said Elder was in her 70s.

Shoffner is being held without bail. It was unclear whether he had retained an attorney. Fronk did not disclose a motive in the slaying.

Shoffner had previously been arrested on drug and theft charges and was sent to prison in March 2012, according to Indiana Department of Corrections records. He was released in November 2012, records show.

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for breaking news.