A body found in a San Diego freezer last month may have been that of a woman who has been missing or dead for up to nine years, police said Thursday.
"Out-of-town" family members who were visiting a residence called local authorities when they discovered the body in the freezer, police said in December.
The family members are related to someone who currently lives in the home and are not related to the woman found in the freezer, according to police. Police added the freezer was running when the body was found.
The San Diego police homicide unit was called in to investigate because of the unusual location of the body, police said.
Police identified the body Thursday as that of Mary Margaret Haxby-Jones, 81, a white woman.
"Based on the investigation to this point, detectives believe it is possible that Haxby-Jones may have been missing or dead for up to nine years," police said.
Police said no missing person's report was ever filed for Haxby-Jones.
She is believed to have lived at the address on Zion Avenue "at some point prior to the discovery of her body," police said.
Police said that the cause of death has yet to be determined and that the medical examiner's office is investigating, adding that "no obvious traumatic injury to the body was noted."
As they continue to investigate the case "as a suspicious death," detectives are asking anyone who may have known Haxby-Jones or has any information about her to come forward.