Squatters Dismembered Las Vegas Woman, Took Over Her Home and Buried the 82-Year-Old in Her Yard

Las Vegas officials pinned the blame on squatters for dismembering the remains of a Las Vegas woman, who turned up dead and buried in her own yard.

The settlers reportedly took over the 82-year-old's home and sold off her belongings, living off of her wealth, according to a Law and Crime report.

The Las Vegas woman was identified as Lucille Payne. She was buried in a shallow grave in her property, with investigators saying that they believe Payne died alone in the home in the summer of 2018.

Payne's death had been unnoticed as she lived alone. She bought the house in 1999 and had no close family or friends, according to investigators.

In addition, all of her bills were reportedly set to auto-pay.

Las Vegas Woman's Home and Squatters

Las Vegas police said that the squatters could face fraud or theft-related charges for selling Payne's car and improper burial for leaving her body in a shallow grave, according to an NBC News report.

Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said that the decision was made between several people that they were going to dismember and bury Payne's body, drain her finances, and sell off her belongings after finding the 82-year-old's body.

The home had appeared empty for years, according to Payne's neighbors.

In April, someone had called the police to provide information regarding the matter. There were first thoughts that Payne had been murdered.

Neighbors told investigators that they heard digging at the time.

Spencer said that she was not buried deeply. When an officer started to move the dirt, he found an arm inside a very shallow grave in the backyard.

There was evidence of blunt force trauma as well as sharp force injuries, which led the coroner to dub Payne's death as a homicide.

However, the suspected squatters had not been arrested as of Wednesday, according to a New York Post report.

One of several suspected squatters admitted to entering Payne's home and then burying her body instead of reporting it, according to Spencer.

Two primary squatters were involved, but several others were seen entering and leaving the elderly's home.

Police also noted that they were trying to track down Payne's next of kin.

Spencer said that there are a lot of people without family, advising people to check their neighbors as it was said that Payne had been there for so long and nobody had checked on her.

Spencer said that people might not have a family but as a community, one needs to check their neighbors.

Meanwhile, the investigation is still open, and police have not released the names of anyone involved yet.

It is not yet known how many alleged squatters took part in the alleged activity. Police said that one of the people was arrested after admitting everything to detectives.

A lawyer that is working on behalf of Payne's estate is now selling the 82-year-old woman's home. Her home is currently valued at $435,000.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Squatters dismembered 82-year-old woman's body in Vegas home - from KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas