MONTEVALLO, Ala. (WIAT) — A 56-year-old man was arrested on multiple charges in Montevallo Tuesday.
According to court records, John Collum was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, corpse abuse and tampering with physical evidence.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has reported that Oscar De Santiago, aged 36, from Pelham, was declared missing to the Montevallo Police Department on June 18. As part of the investigation, authorities focused on the 2000 block of Randolph Road. In this area, they discovered a vehicle along with unidentified human remains. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is tasked with conducting an autopsy to establish the identity of the remains.
Collum faces charges related to the burial of the human remains and the Ford Ranger truck owned by Oscar De Santiago Soto. He is alleged to have used a backhoe to place them into a pit before setting them on fire. He is currently detained with a bond set at $36,000.
No further information is available as the investigation is ongoing. Findings will be turned over to the Bibb County District Attorney’s Office.
