06/05/16 — Police release identity of body

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Police release identity of body

By Ethan Smith
Published in News on June 5, 2016 1:45 AM

Human remains found in a freezer at 1723 B Holly St. during Memorial Day weekend have been identified as 75-year-old Arma Ann Roush.

Warrants have been secured for Ms. Roush's daughter, 56-year-old Goldsboro resident Marcella Jean Lee, who is wanted for felony failure to report a death.

An autopsy performed on Ms. Roush by the North Carolina Medical Examiner's Office did not show any signs of foul play that would have caused her death.

Ms. Lee is expected to be charged with additional crimes when she is apprehended.

Ms. Roush lived at 1721 B Holly St. with Ms. Lee, and was last seen alive in August 2015.

Any next of kin to Ms. Roush have been unable to be located and notified of her death by police.

Maj. Anthony Carmon with the Goldsboro Police Department said police did not know how long Ms. Roush's remains had been stored in the freezer.

Carmon said the police department does not know if Ms. Lee was the person that sold the freezer to the woman who found the body, and the name of the woman who bought the freezer is also not being released.

The buyer of the freezer reported finding the dead body on Friday, May 27, after purchasing it at a yard sale approximately three weeks prior.

Investigators were called to the scene just after 8:15 that night after the woman opened the freezer for the first time since buying it.

Goldsboro police are continuing to investigate the circumstances around who concealed the body and why the remains were put in the freezer.

Anyone with information about this crime or any other crime in Wayne County is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255 or text at 919-222-4230. Callers will remain anonymous and if your information leads to a felony arrest you will be given a cash reward for the information. Crime Stoppers gives cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to felony arrests.