A man stored his former girlfriend's dead body in a freezer, setting up home in her flat with another woman who assumed her identity, a prosecutor in Ohio has said.

Arturo Novoa and Katrina Layton were arrested and remanded in custody on "corpse abuse charges" after the woman's body was found in a flat in Campbell, near Youngstown, Ohio.

They were given a bond set at $1m (£756,000).

The dead woman is believed to be Shannon Graves, Novoa's former girlfriend.

Layton allegedly used her credit cards and cared for her dog at the flat.


Ms Graves, who was 28, was last seen on Christmas Day in 2016, according to the Ohio Attorney General Missing Persons records.

Police say Novoa asked a friend to keep the padlocked freezer in his basement.

However, after becoming suspicious, the friend broke open the freezer and allegedly discovered the body.

The cause of death is yet to be established.