Man found dead in Massachusetts freezer identified by family as John Wayne Potter a day after he went missing

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According to authorities, he was attacked and restrained by his roommates before he died. The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office has charged Michael Burke, 38, and Samantha Perry, 38, of Lowell with kidnapping in connection with the death of a 37-year-old man and alleges that they held him against his will inside their home on Coburn Street. As per court documents obtained by Boston 25, Burke and Perry claim that John was strangled by an unidentified third person who was holding them at gunpoint on November 23.

According to court documents obtained by WCVB, "(Perry and Burke) forced (the victim) into a wooden chair and then bound him, binding his arms, body and mouth with wire, a green rope, an orange tie down strap and gray duct tape." In addition, Burke and Perry allege that a third individual used the rope to strangle John, who was taken to the basement freezer, where he remained for a week.

In the meantime, the Potter family is fundraising to cover John's funeral. John was remembered as an "amazing man who was full of love" and had a smile that could "light up the whole room." "A bright spark in this world, John touched the lives of so many and he will be missed dearly by all," the fundraiser description reads.

More than two decades ago, his sister, Tabitha Potter, was found raped, strangled and partially buried in a park in Lowell in 1999. Tabitha's murderer was a house painter who hanged himself to death a few days after the incident took place.