Woman Found Wrapped in Plastic, Stuffed in Closet For 'Extended Period of Time,' as Daughter Arrested
Kelli Yingling has been charged with murder in connection with the killing of 67-year-old Peggi Yingling, per police
An elderly California woman was found slain and stuffed in a closet weeks after she was last seen, leading to her daughter’s arrest.
Peggi Yingling, 67, was found in a Hanford, Calif., home after her neighbor reported she hadn't been seen in multiple weeks, which was uncharacteristic of her, the Hanford Police Department said in a press statement on Saturday.
The victim, who had been wrapped in plastic, was not named in the press release but was identified by ABC 30 and FOX 26.
The victim's daughter, Kelli Yingling, 37, who lived in the same residence, was charged with murder, police said in their statement, adding that Kelli allegedly made comments that “implicated” her in the slaying.
At the time of the discovery of Peggi’s body, which police say had been in the closet for "an extended period of time," Kelli had already been in custody for 11 days on unrelated warrants, the statement said.
Police say an autopsy indicated Peggi died from strangulation.
Kelli has a prior conviction for elder abuse, Kings County District Attorney Sarah Hacker said, per ABC 30.
“[Kelli] was on felony probation for elder abuse at the time that this offense occurred,” Hacker said.
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Kelli has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, per ABC 30. Her lawyer Carlos Navarrete told the outlet that even though Kelli allegedly made comments to police that indicated her role in the killing, there are “nuances” that need to be taken into account.
"Very often when we get police reports, we start to see that things are not clear cut as they made it to be,” Navarrete said. “There are a lot of nuances, and people's memories aren't what they claim or were initially, so we need to investigate all that.”
Kelli is scheduled to appear in court in July, per ABC 30.
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