A man from Kentucky dialed 911 to report his wife’s death, only for first responders to discover that she had been deceased for approximately a week to ten days. Tyler Hern, 42, contacted emergency services on February 3, stating that his wife, Laura Hern, 37, had been ill for nearly a month and required medical assistance. He also informed the dispatchers that his wife had passed away.
Upon arrival at the couple’s residence in Highland Heights, near the Ohio border and about eight miles south of Cincinnati, police discovered Laura’s body in the bedroom. The body, which was on the bed, displayed clear signs of decomposition.
According to a police report obtained from WXIX, a local Fox affiliate, Hern admitted during an interview with Highland Heights police that he had discovered his wife’s body several days prior to his 911 call. However, he had delayed reporting her death. Instead, he spent an estimated week to ten days in the apartment they shared with her decomposing body.
During the interview, Hern also reportedly confessed to using Laura’s phone to respond to her family members’ messages in the days following her death. According to the police, these messages were intended to hide the fact that she had died.
The circumstances surrounding Laura Hern’s death are currently being investigated. The police have not yet disclosed the cause or manner of her death. They have, however, stated that this case is an isolated incident and poses no threat to the community.
Tyler Hern was taken into custody and is currently being held at the Campbell County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. He has been charged with felony abuse of a corpse. Hern made his initial court appearance for arraignment on February 4, and a pretrial conference has been scheduled for March 3.