Arkansas woman arrested after mother found mummified, wrapped in newspaper

LINCOLN, Ark. — An Arkansas woman is accused of living with the body of her dead mother and continuing to use the elder woman’s Social Security disability money that was being deposited monthly, authorities said.

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Geanee Pike, 54, of Lincoln, was arrested Monday in connection with abuse of a corpse and financial identity fraud, according to Washington County online court records. She is accused in the death of Gloria Pike, 73, of Lincoln, KNWA reported.

Gloria Pike’s brother, George Maness, had reported her missing on July 21, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Maness said he had not seen his sister since August 2020, the newspaper reported. He added that Gloria Pike had stage 4 breast cancer and had been living with her daughter.

On July 21, investigators spoke to Geanee Pike, who said that her mother was staying with a friend in a location she did not disclose, KNWA reported. She denied that she had access to her mother’s bank account or credit card, according to a police report.

Authorities subpoenaed Gloria Pike’s bank account records and discovered a transaction on July 27, 2021, at a Dollar General store in Lincoln, the television station reported.

Surveillance footage from the store “positively identified Geanee Pike using her missing mother’s check card,” and a search warrant of the home was executed for financial identify fraud, according to KNWA.

Authorities found a woman’s body, later identified as Gloria Pike, on a bed next to her daughter’s bedroom, the television station reported. Gloria Pike’s mummified body was wrapped in newspaper, and bedding covered the newspapers, the Democrat-Gazette reported.

According to Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigator Sgt. Autumn Holland, Geanee Pike said her mother died of natural causes last year but she did not report the woman’s death, the newspaper reported. She said her mother owed her money that she had promised to pay from her monthly disability checks, the Democrat-Gazette reported.

Geanee Pike said she continued to use her mother’s bank account after her death, Holland said.

Geanee Pike is currently being held at the Washington County Detention Center, KNWA reported.

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