Two Ohio women, Karen Casbohm, 63, and Loreen Bea Feralo, 55, have been apprehended after allegedly using a deceased man’s body to withdraw money from his bank account. The women are accused of positioning the man’s body in their vehicle and driving to his bank’s ATM, ensuring the tellers saw him, before withdrawing funds from his account.
The peculiar incident, reminiscent of a dark comedy film plot, has resulted in multiple felony charges for the women. Casbohm and Feralo were arrested on Wednesday and face charges of gross abuse of a corpse and theft from a person in a protected class, according to court documents.
The Ashtabula, Ohio Police Department initiated the investigation into the women’s actions after receiving a call from the Ashtabula County Medical Center (ACMC). The hospital staff reported that two unidentified women had left the body of an elderly man at the facility and departed without providing any information about themselves or the deceased.
The women, later identified as Casbohm and Feralo, reportedly called the hospital a few hours later and provided some personal details about the deceased man. The authorities were then able to identify the man as 80-year-old Douglas Layman of Ashtabula.
Police officers visited Layman’s residence where they encountered Casbohm and Feralo. The women, who were not related to Layman but lived in his home, were interviewed by the officers. It was discovered that Layman had been found dead earlier that day, and with the assistance of an unidentified third person, the women had allegedly placed Layman’s body in his car and driven to his bank to withdraw money from his account.
According to the police, Layman’s body was positioned in the vehicle in such a way that it would be visible to the bank staff. After the withdrawal, the women drove to ACMC, where they left Layman’s body with the hospital staff.
Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell told local media that the women had positioned Layman in the passenger seat of his car to ensure the bank tellers saw him. He added that the bank had previously allowed withdrawals as long as Layman was present. Stell, who has been in law enforcement for 28 years, said this was the first time he had encountered such a case.
Casbohm and Feralo are due in court for their arraignments, with potential penalties of up to two years in prison if convicted on both charges.