Two roommates who were charged with abusing a corpse after propping up their deceased roommate’s body to withdraw money from his bank account.
Loreen B. Feralo, 55, and Karen Kasbohm, 63, found the man dead and took his body to a bank where they had previously accompanied him. They propped the body in the front seat of the car to be seen by bank staff and successfully withdrew an undisclosed amount of money.
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.
The deceased individual was identified as Douglas Layman, 80. Feralo and Kasbohm have been charged with theft and gross abuse of a corpse, both felonies.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed as the case progresses.
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 Casbohm’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.
