Pittsburgh-area man arrested after missing court date for allegedly leaving nephew to die in car

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A man on the run after missing his court date for allegedly leaving his nephew to die in a car has been arrested.

In a post on Facebook, the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office said that Jeffrey Carlson was taken into custody on Wednesday. Carlson was wanted after he failed to appear for his May hearing in connection with a case involving his nephew and abuse of a corpse. 

The sheriff’s office said Carlson was accused of not alerting emergency medical crews when his nephew began to overdose in 2022. In the post, the office said Carlson admitted to knowing his nephew died but he drove around with the nephew’s dead body in the car before ditching the vehicle in a parking lot.

The Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office said when the vehicle was recovered, the nephew’s body was found in the front seat. 

After not appearing for his hearing in May, he was arrested this week after receiving tips from the public. 

“We would like to thank the public for their help in locating this fugitive! It was because of the tips received that Carlson was located,” the post from the sheriff’s office said. “We would also like to thank Glassport Police for their assistance. Great job to all involved!”

Carlson was taken to the Westmoreland County Prison.