DA: No charges after La Pine woman left sister’s remains in home for months

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel announced Monday he’d determined that no crime was committed when a La Pine woman left her older sister’s body in her bed in the home they shared until it was discovered five months later.

An autopsy determined that Christine Freise, 63, died last November of natural causes at the home she shared with her younger sister, Elizabeth Freise, 59.

The remains were found when a neighbor called sheriff’s dispatchers to report the younger sister had fallen on her front porch at their home on Center Drive and needed medical care. La Pine Fire Department medics responded and became concerned about living conditions, noting foul odors and accumulating garbage

Hummel noted that under Oregon law, if a person treats a corpse in a manner not recognized by generally accepted standards of the community, they commit the second-degree abuse of a corpse.

“However, this statute is only violated when a person does an affirmative act to mistreat a corpse, or if they fail to act when they have a legal duty to do so,” the DA said in a news release.

“Elizabeth Freise did not take any action in regard to her sister’s corpse – she merely left her sister where she found her,” the announcement said.

And Hummel said Elizabeth Freise did not have a legal duty to take any actions in regard to her sister’s corpse: She was not her sister’s legal caregiver; she did not have a power of attorney in regard to her sister’s affairs; nor was she the legal guardian of her sister.

Also, Hummel told NewsChannel 21, “There was no evidence Elizabeth was a payee for her sister or in any other way acted in a legal capacity for her. And she did not receive money intended for her sister after her sister’s death.”

“Community standards dictate that respect for our deceased, at a minimum, requires proper disposal of their bodies,” Hummel said.

“Elizabeth Freise’s handling of her sister’s death was shocking and appalling, but I was not elected to be your arbiter of propriety – I was elected to dispassionately and fairly apply Oregon law to the facts I’m presented. Because Ms. Freise’s inaction did not violate Oregon law I am not charging her with a crime.”