Man allegedly buried mother in yard, collected her benefits

A 67-year-old Pinal County, Ariz., man faces charges of fraud and improper disposal of a body after he allegedly buried his mother, a longtime Loveland resident, in his backyard.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release issued this week that Daniel Shannon buried his deceased 97-yearold mother, Leonie Shannon, in his backyard so he could continue to collect her Social Security and veteran’s benefit checks.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Navideh Forghani told the Reporter-Herald on Friday that investigators working the case await an autopsy on the mother.

Leonie Shannon was a longtime Loveland resident and a local teacher for 12 years. In 2012, the ReporterHerald wrote about her time in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.

She was a substitute teacher for the Thompson School District for 10 years and taught science at St. John’s Catholic School for two years.

A news release issued Thursday by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said deputies had been looking for Leonie since April 5, when they went to Daniel and Leonie Shannon’s home in the 2600 block of Jasper Butte Drive in San Tan Valley, Ariz.

“At the time, Shannon explained that his mother walked away from the home on Dec. 21, 2018,” the news release stated. “He claimed this was not the first time his mother disappeared, adding that they just started getting her VA benefits and did not want to report her missing on the off chance that she returned home.”

“During the course of the investigation, Shannon’s story kept changing,” the news release continued. “When detectives questioned Shannon (Wednesday), Shannon admitted that his mother passed away on Dec. 21, 2018. Instead of reporting it, he decided to bury his mother in the backyard so he could continue to receive his mother’s Social Security and VA benefits. Shannon told detectives that he needed to keep getting the benefits to help pay for the patent on his invention.”

That invention, according to Reporter-Herald archives, was a self-closing toilet seat developed in 2008 in Loveland.

Detectives recovered the body in Daniel Shannon’s backyard Wednesday. As of Friday, he remained in custody at the Pinal County Jail on a $100,000 secured bond.

The news release added that this is an ongoing investigation, and Daniel Shannon could face additional charges after his mother’s autopsy.