Before delivering an 80-year-old deceased man’s body to a hospital, two Ohio women are accused of driving his corpse to a bank and taking money out of his account.
Karen Casbohm, 63, and Loreen Bea Feralo, 55, were charged Tuesday in Ashtabula, Ohio, with gross abuse of a corpse and theft from a person in a protected class, according to Ashtabula Municipal Court records.
When police were called on Monday night, they said they were informed that two women had left a body at the emergency room of Ashtabula County Medical Center without identifying the victim or themselves.
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A few hours later, one of them called the hospital and provided details about the deceased, subsequently identified as Ashtabula resident Douglas Layman, 80.
When police arrived at Layman’s house, they spoke with Casbohm and Feralo, who informed them that Layman had been discovered dead at the house where the three of them lived.
According to the police, Layman was put in the front seat of his car and taken to a bank where “an undisclosed amount of money” was taken out of his account with the assistance of a third, unnamed person.
Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell stated in a news release on Thursday that Layman’s body “was placed in the vehicle in such a manner that he would be visible to bank staff in order to make the withdrawal.” The bank “had allowed this previously as long as they were accompanied by him,” Stell said to the (Ashtabula) Star Beacon.
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Lt. Mike Palinkas told WEWS-TV that one of the women had been in a live-in relationship with Layman for several years while the other had been staying there for a few months. The women said it was normal for them to take money from the account, but Palinkas said he didn’t have a full explanation for why they went there that day.
“Allegedly, they wanted to pay some bills but outside of that, there wasn’t a specific motivation provided,” Palinkas said.
Casbohm was arraigned and ordered held on $5,000 bond while Feralo is scheduled for arraignment next week. It’s unclear whether they have attorneys; numbers listed in their names had been disconnected. A message was sent to the county public defender’s office seeking comment if the office was defending one or both.
Police said they continue to investigate and other charges are possible. The coroner’s office said an autopsy to determine the cause of Layman’s death could take up to eight months.
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