Two women from Ohio are accused of propping up a man’s dead body in their car to withdraw money from his bank account.
Loreen Bea Feralo, 55, and Karen Casbohm, 63, have been charged with theft and gross abuse of a corpse following their alleged actions after the death of Douglas Layman, whose body was left at a hospital emergency room, according to police.
The crime has prompted comparisions to the dark comedey Weekend At Bernies, which sees two two men who try to pretend that their murdered employer is really alive.
Police say that the two women were not related to Layman but shared his home in Ashtabula, a city about 50 miles from Cleveland.
It is claimed by the police that Feralo and Casbohm, along with another person, moved Layman’s body from the house on Monday, put it in the front passenger seat of his car, and then drove to a nearby bank’s drive-thru window.
The bank had previously allowed the women to take out money from Layman’s account as long as he was with them. On March 4, a bank teller apparently didn’t realise that Layman was dead when the women arrived and successfully withdrew $900.
Investigators allege that the women positioned Layman “in the vehicle in such a way that he would be visible to bank staff in order to make the withdrawal.”
The pair then headed to the Ashtabula County Medical Center, leaving Layman’s body and driving off, “without providing any information about the man or themselves.”
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Police soon caught up with the women and grilled them about the strange event.
They claimed that Layman had died in his home. His exact cause of death is being probed, officials confirmed.
Feralo has previous convictions for reckless assault; having illegal drug-use gear on her; trespassing; drink-driving; stealing; and attempting to get hold of illegal drugs. She was nicked in 2022 for having fentanyl, although we don’t know what happened next in that case.
Casbohm has previous convictions for stealing; soliciting; trespassing; receiving stolen property; having illegal drug-use gear on her; and trying to take illegal drugs.
