SAN ANTONIO — A Texas man is accused of concealing his mother’s remains in a trash can inside a storage unit, authorities said.
Rogelio Bernal Jr., 53, of San Antonio, was arrested on an unrelated warrant on Friday. He has since been charged with altering, destroying or concealing a human corpse, KSAT-TV reported.
According to an arrest affidavit on Thursday, the San Antonio Police Department responded to a Public Storage facility at 4714 Vance Jackson Road, according to the television station.
The person who called the police reported finding human remains in one of the storage units, which he obtained through an auction, WOAI-TV reported.
Authorities confirmed that human remains were found inside a trash can, according to the television station.
After authorities spoke to Bernal, he allegedly identified the remains as those of his dead mother, KSAT reported. Bernal told police he was his mother’s caregiver at the apartment they shared.
According to the arrest affidavit, on Oct. 31, 2021, Bernal said he was cooking while his mother was taking a shower, the television station reported. He said that his mother was taking a shower and fell.
While Bernal found his mother still breathing on the shower floor, he did not call 911 because of his previous criminal record, KENS-TV reported.
The woman died, and Bernal allegedly placed her body in a hall closet at their apartment, according to the affidavit. For more than a year, Bernal covered her body in lye and cleaning supplies, the affidavit said.
When he was evicted from his apartment in October 2022, Bernal rented a storage unit and moved his mother’s remains there inside the trash can, KSAT reported.
Bernal is currently in the Bexar County Jail and his bail has been set at $75,000, court records show.