A landlord in Washington allegedly killed his 71-year-old tenant and concealed the body inside a barrel on his property, authorities say.
Ricky Dean Miller, 67, was arrested after a family member informed police that he had confessed to the killing and hiding the body on his Woodland property, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. Officers responded to the property on December 16 and, with a search warrant, discovered the body of 71-year-old Dennis Eugene Schmitt inside a barrel.
Police said Miller had been Schmitt’s landlord, with both men living in separate residences on the same property.
An autopsy determined that Schmitt died from multiple blunt force injuries to the head, and there was also evidence of strangulation, authorities reported. Miller was booked into Cowlitz County Jail on charges of second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of human remains.
“It was nuts because we are in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t think anything like that would ever happen,” said neighbor Emma Withers. She added, “I just wanna know what drove him to do it… but I also don’t want to because they are our neighbors.”
The Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.