ASHTABULA, Ohio — Two women are facing charges in Ashtabula County after allegedly taking a dead man to a bank to withdraw money.
The incident happened on Monday, March 4, when Ashtabula police received a call from the Ashtabula County Medical Center (ACMC) about a deceased elderly man who was dropped off at their facility by two unidentified women.
Officials say that the two women, who have since been identified as 55-year-old Loreen B. Feralo and 63-year-old Karen Casbohm, left shortly after arriving at the ACMC without providing any information about the deceased man or themselves.
A few hours later, one of the women contacted ACMC and gave them information about the man, who was later identified as 80-year-old Douglas Layman. Police responded to the home and interviewed Feralo and Casbohm.
Ashtabula police chief Robert Stell says the women allegedly found Layman dead inside his home, where they both had been residing. With the help of a third individual, the women allegedly placed Layman in the front seat of his car and drove to a bank, where they withdrew an undisclosed amount of money from his account.
"It is further alleged that Mr. Layman was placed in the vehicle in such a manner that he would be visible to bank staff in order to make the withdrawal," said Stell in a press release.
Both of the women have been charged with gross abuse of a corpse and theft from a person in a protected class.
Casbohm appeared in court for an arraignment hearing on March 5, where a $5,000 bond was set. Feralo is expected to have an arraignment hearing on March 14 at 8:30 a.m.
Officials say that other charges are under review and may be forthcoming.
Additionally, anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Ashtabula police at 440-992-7126.