A Marine veteran whose body was found stuffed in a New Jersey closet for more than eight months will be buried with full military honors next week.
Steven M. Blankenship, 58, of Fairfield Township in Cumberland County, is accused of hiding cousin Michael S. Blankenship’s body after the 72-year-old died last year, according to court documents.
The defendant then collected his cousin’s benefits to pay his own bills and used the dead man’s credit card, police say.
Steven M. Blankenship’s public defender did not respond to a request for comment.
The elder Blankenship died following a brief illness, according to his obituary. He is survived by several cousins, friends and neighbors.
He served with the U.S. Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1970.
Blankenship worked as a forklift operator before retiring with a disability in 2001, his obituary said. He lived at the residence where his body was found for more than 40 years.
A public graveside funeral service for Michael Blankenship is scheduled for Monday at Centerton Free Will Baptist Cemetery in Pittsgrove in Cumberland County, according to his obituary.
Burial with military honors will follow the ceremony and Blankenship will be buried next to his mother.
The investigation into his death began April 14 when New Jersey State Police troopers responded to Evergreen Estates, formerly Tips Trailer Park, in Fairfield for a well-being check at Michael Blankenship’s residence, according to police.
When no one answered the door, troopers walked to the rear of the trailer and noticed a strong odor “consistent with decomposition,” police said.
They kicked open the door to investigate and found Blankenship’s body wrapped in three layers of plastic and stashed in a rear bedroom closet. The closet door knob had been removed and the door was sealed with electrical tape, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause filed with the charges.
Troopers found a handwritten note in the trailer indicating the man died July 27, 2024, from “dementia-related causes.”
Police said they believe the note was written by Steven Blankenship. It described how the defendant left the man’s body on the floor for two days before sealing him in the closet.
It also said the defendant continued paying bills using his cousin’s income because of his own physical and financial decline, police said.
Steven Blankenship hid his cousin’s death so he could receive the man’s Department of Labor benefits and stole nearly $14,000 from the state over the course of eight months, police said.
He’s also accused of using his cousin’s credit card to get cash and buy items.
Steven Blankenship was indicted recently on charges of second-degree desecrating human remains, third-degree counts of theft by deception and fraudulent use of a credit card, and fourth-degree tampering with evidence.
He remains in jail pending future hearings and is scheduled to return to court next month for a pre-indictment hearing.
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