Inset: Valerie Bonner (Baldwin County Jail). Background: The apartment complex where authorities say two men died in the last six months (WALA).
A 54-year-old woman hailing from Alabama was detained after she reportedly left a man’s body to decompose in her apartment bedroom for up to two weeks without informing the authorities. This incident marks the second death in her home in just six months.
Valerie A. Bonner was apprehended on Tuesday and is facing charges of felony abuse of a corpse alongside tampering with physical evidence, as documented in records reviewed by Law&Crime.
According to Birmingham ABC affiliate WBMA, Foley Police Department officers responded to a welfare check request from a concerned neighbor at the Alison Pointe Apartments on Tuesday at 10:50 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of an adult male, who appeared to have been deceased for a significant period.
Police have identified the deceased man, suspected to have died from an overdose, but have yet to release his identity as of Thursday afternoon, as reported by Mobile CBS affiliate WKRG. It is alleged that Bonner was aware of the man’s death in her bedroom but refrained from reporting it to avoid potential legal issues.
“She mentioned the death possibly resulted from an overdose and feared getting into trouble, hence why she hid it,” stated Foley Police Lt. Tony Fuqua during Bonner’s first court appearance, as per WKRG. “She was aware the individual was deceased in her apartment for several days and failed to notify us, allowing the body to decompose over time.”
The failure to inform the authorities about the death resulted in the charge of corpse abuse, and she is also alleged to have obstructed law enforcement further. Bonner is accused of taking the victim’s wallet and cellphone and allegedly disposing of them in a dumpster to conceal his identity, leading to the evidence tampering charge.
In the indictment, filed in Baldwin County District Court, prosecutors wrote that Bonner “knowingly” treated the victim’s body “in a way that outraged ordinary family sensibilities.”
Police also highlighted the fact that Bonner’s husband was previously found dead in the house, also from overdosing.
“Approximately six months ago, same apartment, her husband died of an overdose,” Fuqua said, per Mobile Fox affiliate WALA. Fuqua told the station that Bonner “could definitely be looking at other charges” in connection with the two deaths in her home.
Bonner was processed at the Baldwin County Jail, where a judge set her bond at $5,500 — $5,000 for the abuse of a corpse charge and $500 for the tampering charge, records show.
It was not immediately clear when Bonner was scheduled to appear in court again.
