In San Antonio, Texas, a man has been charged with the concealment and destruction of a human corpse after the remains of his mother were discovered in a storage unit.
The man, identified as Rogelio Bernal, 53, was apprehended by authorities following the grim finding.
On December 21, 2023, San Antonio Police Department officers were summoned to a storage facility located in the 4700 block of Vance Jackson Road.
The call was prompted by a disturbing discovery made by an individual who had won the storage unit at an auction. Inside, a trash can containing the body of an elderly woman was found, later identified as Bernal’s mother.
Further investigation revealed that Bernal, who has a history of legal issues, was the last registered renter of the storage unit. Bernal, already wanted for a separate drug charge, was later arrested.
During police interrogation, he remarked that he had been the primary caregiver for his mother and they shared an apartment.
He recalled an incident from October 31, 2021, when his mother fell in the shower. Bernal, finding her still breathing but injured, refrained from calling emergency services due to his criminal record.
He detailed that following his mother’s death, he stored her body in a closet in their apartment for over a year, using lye and other cleaning agents in an attempt to conceal the remains. This makeshift preservation led to a gnat infestation, resulting in his eviction from the apartment in October 2022.
Following the eviction, he secured a storage unit where he transferred his mother’s remains, placing them inside a trash can.
Bernal remains in custody at the Bexar County Jail. His bond has been set at $75,000.