Two roommates of a recently deceased man were each charged with abusing a corpse after propping up his body to withdraw money from his bank, according to police.
The pair, Loreen B. Feralo, 55, and Karen Kasbohm, 63, discovered the man dead on Monday and took his body to a bank where they had previously been with him, stated Ashtabula Police Department Chief Robert B. Stell.
With the assistance of a third person, the roommates placed the body in the front seat of the man’s car so bank staff could see him, and then drove to the bank branch where they made a withdrawal of an undisclosed amount, Chief Stell explained.
Stell mentioned that the pair had previously withdrawn money from the man’s account with his approval while he was alive. The suspects used the bank’s drive-thru teller window, as reported by the Star Beacon, a local news outlet in Ashtabula.
The alleged scheme fell apart when the duo dropped the body off at the Ashtabula County Medical Center after the withdrawal and left hurriedly without providing any information about the man to hospital staff, Stell stated.
One of the roommates later contacted the facility with some details about the man, and the body was identified as Douglas Layman, 80, the chief added.
Police visited Layman’s home in Ashtabula, where the roommates disclosed the details of the bank visit, according to Stell.
The suspects have attended court hearings, but it is uncertain if they have entered pleas or obtained legal representation. The county public defender’s office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
NBC affiliate WKYC in Cleveland reported that Casbohm’s bond was set at $5,000, and Feralo was scheduled to appear for arraignment the following week.
Stell mentioned in the statement that there could be additional charges. The county prosecutor’s office did not provide a response to a request for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
