Human bones found at Yavapai County home's fire pit lead to man's arrest

A welfare check to a Yavapai County man's home last month led to the discovery of his skull and the arrest of the person suspected of killing him.

Early in April, an Ash Fork post office employee informed deputies that John McCabe, 67, had not picked up his mail in more than a year. On April 25, Deputies proceeded to conduct a welfare check at his Juniper Woods mobile home, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.

While there, deputies found Terry Welfenberg, 76, living on McCabe's property. Welfenberg told deputies McCabe left about two years ago and he had broken into his home, stolen a few firearms and had been there for some time, the Sheriff's Office said.

No sign of McCabe, and odd behavior from Welfenberg, prompted deputies to alert sheriff's detectives. Detectives could not determine whether McCabe was alive and residing elsewhere, so the property was searched for his possible remains, according to the Sheriff's Office.

During that time, Welfenberg was arrested and charged on suspicion of burglary and theft of firearms, according to the Sheriff's Office.

During the property search, a volunteer noticed what appeared to be a skull fragment in the fire pit near the trailer and a search warrant yielded the discovery of several human bones, according to the Sheriff's Office. Two days later, a second search found McCabe's medical ID bracelet and his wallet, along with many more bone fragments located within the fire pit, the Sheriff's Office said. It is unclear if the remains were positively identified as McCabe's.

The remains found on the property were burned, according to Kristin Greene, public information officer for the Sheriff's Office.

Additional charges against Welfenberg, including homicide, are pending, the Sheriff's Office said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Human bones found at Yavapai County home lead to man's arrest