Eastern Kentucky man charged after mother’s body found in home, police say she died months earlier

A welfare check led to a body, a week-long investigation, and a list of charges that includes 17 counts of forgery.

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Police say a woman had been dead for roughly four months when officers found her body inside a Paintsville home. Paintsville is in Eastern Kentucky, about three hours east of Louisville. The woman's son, John Carroll, is now in jail, accused of failing to report her death, abusing her corpse, and stealing between $10,000 and $1 million.

It began with a welfare check on Andrea Circle around 11:39 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 19, according to Paintsville Police. Officers who arrived at the home spoke with a family member, who told them Carroll had said his mother died about a week earlier and that her body was still in the bed inside the residence.