Adell Totten (Shelby County Jail).
A Tennessee man was arrested after he allegedly broke into his mom’s home and flushed his brother’s ashes down the toilet.
Police in Memphis were called to an apartment complex in the northeast suburbs following a report of a burglary. The victim claimed to have witnessed her son, 33-year-old Adell Totten, breaking into her home by smashing a window. He then allegedly destroyed the indoor security cameras. In a shocking turn of events, the mother accused him of taking the cremated ashes of her other son, Dantelle Totten, who passed away at 33 in July 2023, and flushing them down the toilet.
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After getting rid of the ashes, Adell Totten was arrested at the scene and taken to the Shelby County Jail on a bond of $5,000. He was also accused of stealing a $10 cap from the home. It was revealed that he did not reside with his mother and had been banned from the premises. Charges against him include aggravated battery and abuse of a corpse, with a court appearance set for Wednesday.
Records indicate that the suspect had recently been released from jail for breaking a window at his mother’s neighbor’s residence on June 19. According to reports, he allegedly threw a brick through the neighbor’s window, causing around $5,300 in damages. The police found surveillance footage of the incident, clearly depicting Totten committing the act.
He was found guilty of vandalism on Jan. 5 and sentenced to the 190 days in jail he already served, according to records. Totten had repeatedly been arrested last year for continuing to show up at his mom’s apartment complex despite being trespassed, records show.
