Man Arrested After Dismembered Body Was Found In His Freezer Posed With Guns & ‘Dexter’ Images On Social Media
The body is believed to be that of his missing girlfriend.
Facebook New Orleans police investigating the disappearance of Julia Dardar have been led to the shocking discovery of a dismembered body found in a home in the 9th Ward.
Police have arrested the owner of the property where the body was found stored in a freezer after he allegedly refused to comply with the investigation into a death that occurred at his home.
34-year-old Benjamin Beale is currently being detained but has not yet been charged with murder.
What happened to Julia Dardar?
Julia Dardar, a 36-year-old mother of two, was reported missing by her estranged husband, Micah Dardar, in December 2021.
Micah had told police that Julia had moved in with Beale and feared that she was heading down a "bad road" due to her crystal meth addiction.
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Though the body found in Beale's home has not been formaly identified, Micah says there is "little doubt in my mind" that he is responsible for Julia's death.
Police visited Benjamin Beale's home while investigating Julia Dardar's disappearance.
When the police arrived, Beale told them that he and Julia had been having relationship problems and allowed NOPD to conduct a search of his property, according to the affidavit, and that’s when they found a freezer containing a female’s remains inside of a bus outside his home.
Court documents revealed that inside the freezer they found a reciprocating saw that appeared to have bits of flesh and fluid on the blade, along with a head and torso.
Deep cuts were found on the shoulder and arms of the body that police believe were inflicted post-mortem, according to the affidavit.
Next to the freezer, police said that they had also found a face shield, goggles, and garbage bags.
As they continued their search of his property, detectives found what they called a “clandestine” meth lab along with kerosene, glass dishes with white powder, propane, a Coleman grill and acetone inside a freezer.
Since the conditions inside of the home were too dangerous for the police to complete a full homicide investigation, they called upon the Louisiana State Police Narcotics Division, according to court records.
Police also discovered a black safe inside of Beale’s bedroom closet. After handing over the keys to the detectives, NOPD uncovered a bifold wallet, a plush turtle purse, mushrooms, and the ID and credit cards belonging to the victim, according to the affidavit.
Benjamin Beale had posted about serial killers on social media.
Beale, who goes by the name Kelley Kirkpatrick on social media, had posted photos of himself with stickers of the fictional serial killer, Dexter Morgan, from the crime drama, Dexter edited on to his images.
His posts also include images of him skinning alligators and posing with a gun while wearing a hazmat suit.
Beale was brought into the NOPD headquarters for questioning refused to provide a statement, so he was transported to the Orleans Parish Jail and was booked on other drugs and weapons charges.
Beale's neighbors described the street as quiet but were shocked when they discovered what had occurred near their homes.
Beale has reportedly had no previous run-ins with the police before this arrest and has also not been charged with murder at the time of writing.
However, following his arrest, his bail has been set at $450,000 for six drug and weapons charges as a result of what the police found in his home.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.