Man lugged dead woman's body from hotel to her house, tucked her into bed, cruised around in her Mercedes, and sold her jewelry, police say

An Arizona man is behind bars after taking advantage of a dead woman's personal property and concealing her corpse to keep the macabre gravy train going, Grand Canyon State law enforcement says.

Kristopher Lauchner, 52, stands accused of one count each of abandoning or concealing a dead body, burglary, trafficking stolen property, unlawful use of means of transportation, and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, according to the Gilbert Police Department.

The underlying incidents occurred earlier this month — starting with the death of 55-year-old Cindy Miller on Aug. 5, police said.

The woman and the defendant were hanging out together the night before and Miller died during the early morning hours after the pair used drugs together, Lauchner told police, according to court documents obtained by Phoenix-based ABC affiliate KNXV.

The man allegedly told investigators that he tried in vain to revive Miller after she became unresponsive that night, that he performed CPR on her, and that he checked for a pulse, but declined to call 911 because he knew she was dead and he went into "self-preservation" mode.

After that, Lauchner dressed Miller, put her body in the passenger seat of her own Mercedes, left the hotel they were at, drove to the woman's home in Gilbert, and then carried her inside — leaving her in bed and tucked in with a comforter placed over her body, police said.

But he kept her car — and then some, police said.

Lauchner sold Miller's diamond ring and diamond necklace to a pawnshop in Tempe later on Aug. 5, according to law enforcement.

The defendant also allegedly used Miller's cellphone to send text messages to several of the woman's contacts so as not to arouse suspicion about her disappearance in the days that followed, police said. To date, the woman's cellphone has not been recovered.

Surveillance footage, home security cameras, and cellphone records place Lauchner at Miller's home and in her vehicle in the days after she died, according to court records.

On Aug. 8, the victim's family finally made a grim discovery at the woman's home on West Islandia Drive in Gilbert: Family members, having not heard from Miller in several days, found her dead in her house, according to law enforcement.

"My mother was a presence unlike any other, she was known and loved by many," the woman's daughter told KNXV. "A mother of three, one recently lost (my little brother Zach, who was about to turn 21 and was lost to a motorcycle accident), and a charismatic, joyous woman. An avid pool player, scuba diver, painter, and entrepreneur. She was a light in the lives of everyone she met."

On Aug. 11, detectives tried to contact Lauchner at an apartment in Phoenix, according to court records. The man allegedly gave chase before he was caught. At the time of his arrest, the defendant denied having anything to do with Miller's death, police said.

The defendant and the deceased woman knew each other.

At the time Miller died, Lauchner was on pretrial release in relation to an offense involving Miller from earlier this year, police said. Under the terms of his release, the defendant was not supposed to have any contact with the woman or visit her home, according to law enforcement.

"A handgun, which allegedly belonged to Miller, was found in his possession," police said in a press release.

Enforcing those conditions was an ankle monitor, police said. But the monitor had stopped working on July 12, after pinging at Miller's address, Maricopa County Pretrial Services told police.

Aside from mentioning a hotel, law enforcement did not otherwise say where Miller is alleged to have died.

The county medical examiner is looking into Miller's cause and manner of death, police said, according to Phoenix-based independent TV station KTVK and local CBS affiliate KPHO, which collectively broadcast as Arizona's Family.

Lauchner is being detained in the Lower Buckeye Jail without bond.

During a hearing, Miller's family and prosecutors asked the court to hold the defendant without bond.

"His lies, stating that, you know, he's here to help and figure this out, um, while we're learning everything that he did was just unimaginably painful, um, and he's not a safe person, he's a dangerous, dangerous person," her daughter said. "He's hurt my family beyond belief."

The defendant, for his part, agreed — or at least conceded.

"Non-bondable, I'm sure," Lauchner said.