Florida officials: Daughters confess to burying father, 94, in yard
EUSTIS, Fla. -- Investigators say two women panicked when they found their 94-year-old father dead in his central Florida home and buried him in the yard.
Lake County Sheriff’s spokesman Fred Jones said Thursday that Melvin Kort’s daughters confessed to burying him. Their secret started unraveling in September after deputies received a tip about a body buried near the home.
Authorities were conducting a DNA test to confirm Kort’s identity. An autopsy showed no signs of trauma. Jones says Kort died four to five years ago.
Investigators said Kort’s daughters, Sarah and Susan Kort, told them that their father died of what appeared to be a stroke or heart attack, CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG-TV reports.
The Orlando Sentinel reports Kort’s brother reported him missing in July and told investigators he hadn’t spoken to him in nine years. Deputies stopped by the home and the daughters said their father had moved up north.
The case has been forwarded to the state attorney’s office for possible charges.