(WHAS11)—Police have arrested 52-year-old Julius Columbus Harris of the 1700 block of Cypress Dr. after he barricaded himself in his home where his mother's decomposing body was later found.
Police said when they were called out to the home around 5 p.m. Thursday, Julius Harris opened the door and had a gun to his head. Harris then barricaded himself in the home until hostage negotiators were able to talk him out around 2 a.m. Friday.
Police then entered the home and said they found a badly decomposed body of 89-year-old Sina B. Harris. Deputy Coroner Jim Wesley said Sina Harris died of natural causes in early May.
Her son allegedly told police that he was scared after her death, and continued to cash her income checks.
According to the police report the body was that of Julius Harris' mother and she had died a couple of days before Mother's Day. Julius Harris had not reported her death and left the body in a bed. The police report also said Julius Harris had been cashing several different forms of income checks and had been living off of the proceeds.
Police questioned Julius Harris overnight and he has been charged with abuse of a corpse and theft by deception.
