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, police said.
The pair, Loreen B. Feralo, 55, and Karen Kasbohm, 63, found the man dead Monday and took his body to a bank where they had previously accompanied him, Ashtabula Police Chief Robert B. Stell said in a statement.
With the help of a third, unnamed person, the roommates carried the body to the front seat of the dead man's car so bank staff could see him, and drove to the familiar bank branch, where they withdrew an undisclosed amount, the chief said.
The pair previously withdrew money from the man's account with him present and approving, Stell said. The chief told the Star Beacon, a daily news platform in Ashtabula, the suspects used the bank's drive-thru teller window.
The alleged caper unraveled when the duo dropped the body off at Ashtabula County Medical Center after the withdrawal and left quickly — without giving hospital staff information about the man, Stell said in the statement.
One of the two later called the facility with some of the man's story, he said, and the body was identified as Douglas Layman, 80, the chief said.
Officers went to Layman's Ashtabula home, where the roommates told them about the bank trip, Stell said.
The suspects have appeared in court, police said, though it was not clear if they entered pleas or were assigned attorneys. The county public defender's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NBC affiliate WKYC of Cleveland, about 60 miles southwest of Ashtabula, reported Kasbohm's bond was set at $5,000, and Feralo was ordered to appear for arraignment next week.
Stell said in the statement that additional charges were possible. The county prosecutor's office did not respond to a request for comment.
