Man faces charges, accused of hiding mother's remains in San Antonio storage unit: Police

Police say a man in Texas has been accused of hiding his mother's remains in a trash can in a storage unit.

Local outlet KSAT citing an arrest affidavit reported that Rogelio Bernal, 53, was arrested for an unrelated warrant on Friday, Dec. 22 and has since been charged with altering, destroying or concealing a human corpse.

Police were called to storage facility in San Antonio on Thursday because a corpse was found inside a trash can in a unit.

The caller had obtained the unit through an auction. KENS5 reported the property manager identified Bernal as the previous owner. Bernal already had an active warrant and was taken into custody.

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Mother's body concealed for 2 years

During an interview with police, Bernal said the remains were his mothers who died more than two years ago.

According to KENS5, Bernal said his mother tripped and fell in the shower on October 31, 2021. His mother was still breathing, but Bernal, who was her caretaker said he didn't call 911 because of his previous criminal record.

After she died, he said he placed her in a closet in their shared apartment, KSAT reported. For more than a year, he concealed her body in lye and cleaning supplies. He was evicted in October 2022 after a gnat problem grew inside the apartment.

Bernal then put his mothers remains in a trash can, rented the storage unit and moved several items in.

He's currently being held in the Bexar County Jail on a $75,000 bond, KSAT reported.

The San Antonio Police Department did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.