Charges: Metro East woman left mother’s decomposing body in home to collect her benefits
By Nicole Sanders
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FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Illinois (KMOV) — The body of an elderly woman was found inside her home during a welfare check Monday morning in St. Clair County.
At 9:30 a.m., officers responded to a home in the 200 block of Oxford Avenue in Fairview Heights to check on 80-year-old Karen Hayashi. Once there, police found her decomposed body inside the bedroom. Hayashi appeared to be dead for a long period time, investigators said. The cause of death is unknown due to the decomposition of the body.
Police arrested Hayashi’s daughter, 48-year-old Reena Hayashi, who lived with the victim. According to the probable cause statement, Reena left her mother’s body in a closed bedroom and placed air fresheners outside to mask the odor. The daughter was continuing to file Karen’s taxes and collect her benefits after her death. When police asked Reena about her mother, she lied and said she had moved to Hawaii.
She was charged with concealment of a death and obstruction of justice and being held on a $60,000 bond.
Although charges have been filed, detectives are still pursuing other leads. If anyone with information regarding this case, you are asked to call the Fairview Heights Police Department.
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