California man accused of killing 2 women whose bodies were found in a freezer and a pond

A 49-year-old California man accused of killing two women in his father's almond orchard and then hiding their bodies in a freezer and in a pond has been arrested.

Martin Christian Ehrke was taken into custody after investigators found the bodies of Kimberly Lynn Taylor, 39, and Jessica Lynn Mazak, 25, at an Arbuckle property in California. He has been charged with two counts of homicide on Thursday, 25 January.

Local media reports said that authorities arrived at the property after they received an anonymous phone call early on Thursday. The person on the phone said that he noticed something suspicious on the property, including blood-stained walls at the residence. However, it was not clear who the person was and if he was related to the accused or the victims.

Upon investigation, deputies found the body of Taylor stuffed inside a chest freezer while Mazak's body was discovered from a nearby pond.

Sheriff Lt Mark Contreras told CBS station KOVR-TV: "They [the murder victims] were currently known to be here at this residence staying on and off."

Investigators believe that both the women were killed within 24 hours before their bodies were found.

"It's going to be hard on this community for a while. ... It's a small community; everybody knows everybody," Contreras was quoted as saying.

Ehrke was not at the property when deputies reached there, reports said. He apparently left his house on Wednesday night and was admitted to the Colusa Medical Centre for an unknown reason.

However, acting on a tip off, police tracked him down to a residence in Colusa County, where he had gone after being discharged from the hospital. Ehrke's Facebook post shows that he was an agriculture student and is self-employed.

One of his posts from Wednesday read: "THE SKY IS FASLLING! THE SKY IS FALLING! DID ANYONE SEE HOW CLOSE VTHE MOON IS?"

During the search operation on the almond orchard, investigators said they also discovered an illegal marijuana grow and narcotics.