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BURLESON, Texas – An investigation is underway after police found the body of a Burleson couple’s 26-year-old special needs son buried in their backyard.
Body of special needs man found buried in backyard
What we know:
Police conducted a welfare check on 26-year-old Jonathan Kinman at his parents’ home in the 400 block of White Oak Lane in Burleson on Oct. 14.
Kinman, who had special needs, lived with his parents.
The officers did not find him but gathered information suggesting he might be deceased and buried in the backyard.
Burleson police returned with the Texas Rangers the following morning to search in the backyard. They found Kinman’s body buried in a shallow grave. His body was exhumed and taken to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy was conducted on Oct. 16.
His parents, December and Johnathan Mitchell, were arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse.
They could face additional charges pending an autopsy report and the outcome of the investigation. They are currently being held on a $250,000 bond each.
According to Burleson police, they say at no point during the investigation did they believe there was any threat to the community. That is why details of the case were not made public earlier, officials said.
What we don’t know:
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet ruled on the cause of death.
The Source: The information in this story was provided by the Burleson Police Department.