Parents Allegedly Knew About Dismembered Body In Son's Home, But Didn't Tell Police

The parents of a Michigan man accused of cutting a woman's body into pieces allegedly knew of the dismembered body but didn't report it to police. Now, the couple are being charged with perjury.

Police say that Barbara Louise Chance, 63, and her husband, James Howard Chance, 76, of Holland, Michigan did not bring their knowledge about the alleged crime to the police and gave purposefully false testimony with the intention of helping their child escape justice, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Jared Chance, the pair's 29-year-old son, was arrested and charged with mutilation of a body and concealing Ashley Young’s death on Dec. 2. He was apprehended by police after a neighbor noticed a tarp leaking blood in their shared basement. Police investigating the scene discovered an eviscerated body, which was later identified as Young's through DNA testing. No one has been charged in her death.

The 30-year-old Young had gone missing on Nov. 29. Young was last seen with Jared Chance at Mulligan’s Pub in Eastown, Michigan. Photos captured the two together that night.

The parents were allegedly made aware of the body the day before Chance's arrest but did not alert law enforcement, Grand Rapids Police said in the affidavits.

Barbara and James were at the police station the day of the arrest but again did not share their alleged knowledge with officers.

“After leaving GRPD, [the parents] left Jared Chance at Jared’s residence ... and then … returned to Holland, making no effort to contact the authorities in any way to inform them of Ashley Young’s death and mutilation,” the affidavit said, according to MLive, a site that reports on local Michigan news.

Both parents are now accused of lying under oath and of being accessories after the fact for allegedly deceiving the police "with the intent to aid the offender in avoiding or escaping detection, arrest, trial and punishment,” the felony complaint said.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker discussed the specific charges with WOODTV, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based news organization.

"Accessory after the fact is somebody that helps and didn't necessarily participate directly in the crime, but does something afterwards to help the person that committed the crime evade capture or detection," Becker said. "Perjury is you lied under oath. ... We're alleging they made false statements while under oath. ... It's not a mistake, it's an intentional false statement."

Police have since searched the Chance home, according to The Holland Sentinel.

If found guilty on the accessory charge, the Chances could face five years in prison. If found guilty of perjury, they may face life in prison.

[Photo: Grand Rapids Police Department]