Police find remains of old woman, arrests daughter, grand daughter

Police in northern Arizona on Tuesday discovered the remains of a 77-year-old woman and arrested her daughter and grand-daughter, accusing the pair of killing the woman two years ago.

Briar Aven, 24, and her mother, Tara Aven, 46, were booked into Yavapai County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and other charges after confessing to killing Sandra Aven in mid- to late 2017, police said. It was not immediately clear if the two women have obtained attorneys and they could not be reached for comment.

Police began looking into Sandra Aven's whereabouts after receiving a report she had not been seen for a long time, said Prescott police spokesman David Fuller. Her badly decomposed body was found on Tuesday by officers checking her home in Prescott, Arizona, less than 100 miles (160 km) north of Phoenix. The body is being transferred to medical examiners.

Authorities interviewed Briar Aven and Tara Aven, who gave conflicting information, Fuller said, and they confessed to the killing after the body, which had signs of trauma, was found. No motive for the alleged slaying of Sandra Aven was immediately released.

The two women also admitted to cashing numerous monthly checks made out to her, Fuller said.

(With inputs from agencies.)