CLINTON, IN —  A 20-year-old Indiana man was arrested for murder after police found what appeared to be human remains in a burn pit behind his home, just days after he reported his mother missing.

Nicholas Thomas Yates was charged with one count of felony murder on October 7 and is being held in the Vermillion County Jail, according to a press release from the Indiana State Police.

Yates initially told a Vermillion County Sheriff’s deputy that he had not seen his mother, Cheryl Yates, since October 3. He claimed her clothing, bank card and ID were missing, but her wallet, purse and phone had been left behind, as reported by Local 12.

According to a probable cause affidavit cited by WTWO, Yates said he waited two days to report her missing because he received a message indicating an error in dialing her number.

When asked why he attempted to call her if she had left her phone behind, Yates said she had purchased a new phone with the same number. He later told deputies he sold her old phone at a Kroger kiosk because he needed money.

Deputies noted Yates referred to his mother in the past tense, saying, “She was the sweetest person,” which raised suspicion, according to the affidavit.

Yates showed deputies an app that pinged Cheryl’s last known location at a bingo hall in Terre Haute on October 3. He later admitted he had gone to the bingo hall with her phone and sold it there.

A search of the home revealed Cheryl’s pill planner, which showed she had taken her medications regularly until October 3. Her phone was later pinged to a wooded area north of Newport, but a search yielded no results.

Investigators learned that Yates had moved two individuals into Cheryl’s bedroom within two days of her disappearance. He told police he was afraid to be alone.

The new roommates contradicted parts of Yates’ account, including his claim that they accompanied him to the Kroger kiosk. They also said he spent most of October 3 in the attic and much of the weekend cleaning the house, including his mother’s bedsheets.

The roommates told police they visited stores and restaurants with Yates over the weekend and that he paid for most purchases, according to the affidavit.

Cheryl’s supervisor told investigators she left work around 2:30 p.m. on October 3 with her phone and said she was going to “kill him,” referring to her son. She claimed he spent all his money and left her to pay his bills. The supervisor also said Cheryl mentioned her son had doctor’s appointments that day, conflicting with the new roommates’ statements.

Police obtained a search warrant for the Yates residence and found a smoldering pile of papers in a backyard burn pit. Yates said he was burning Cheryl’s Indiana Department of Child Services documents to avoid trouble for possessing others’ private information.

Investigators reported finding bones in the burn pit, including one that appeared to be a “human spinal cord,” according to court documents cited by WTWO.

During a second interview on October 6, Yates told deputies he had not seen his mother for a month before October 3. He said they argued that day about him moving out.

Yates allegedly admitted to striking his mother in the throat, which caused her face to turn blue. She then fell backward, hitting her head on a metal bed frame and wooden chest, and became unresponsive.

Yates said he placed her body in a wooden box and burned it in the backyard the next day.

The roommates later told investigators Yates had asked them to move in as early as September 30 and said he needed a decision by October 3 because his mother was moving out.

Court records show Yates pleaded not guilty at his initial hearing, where he was represented by the West Central Indiana Public Defender’s Office. His next court date is a pre-trial conference set for January 7, 2026.