Man confesses to shoving his injured grandma into a freezer and leaving her to die

A Georgia man has been arrested after confessing to shoving his injured grandmother into a freezer and leaving her there to die.

Robert Keith Tincher III allegedly lived with the frozen corpse of 82-year-old Doris Cumming for months before Floyd County cops made the grisly discovery at their Armuchee home late Thursday April 14. 

Police believe that the granny hurt herself after falling in December, but rather than seeking medical attention, Tincher allegedly dragged her through the home they shared.

 Fox 5 Atlanta reported that he “heard and saw numerous bones break”, and then wrapped her in plastic bags and stuffed her into the freezer alive. 

Floyd County Investigator Brittany Werner told the outlet; 

“From what we determined, at the time, he believed she was still breathing and had some movement at the time she was going into the freezer” 

The charges say Tincher “acknowledged her back broke going into the freezer.” There was “no altercation or provocation” leading up to the acts, according to the charges.

The freezer remained at the residence until around March 2022, when it was “transported to another location within Floyd County,” per the FCPD. Investigators believe Tincher intended to conceal Cumming’s death.

Floyd County Police recovered the body from the freezer at a different location late on Thursday night “after following up on a concern voiced by a family member,” who believed Cumming had moved out of state “but had not communicated with her family since the supposed move.”

Investigators learned of the crime upon contacting Tincher. He told investigators he didn’t call for emergency responders because of a warrant out for his arrest involving terroristic threats made on social media toward his wife.

According to the incident report, Tincher had attempted to hire a hitman via Facebook Messenger to kill his wife in July 2018. He was indicted in September 2018 but failed to appear in court, leading to a felony bench warrant for his arrest. 

Tincher also expressed his love for his grandmother while speaking with investigators, Werner said. “He said she was the only family member that gave him the courtesy and love and attention he needed,” she told WAGA-TV.

Tincher was arrested at a house on Hennon Drive and later booked into the Floyd County Jail. In addition to the charges stemming from the December 2021 death of his grandmother, Tincher has also been charged with a felony for failing to appear in court in 2018.

Floyd County Coroner Gene Proctor said the victim’s body has been taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Atlanta, per the news release.