Woman accused of stealing $18,000 meant for burial of boy who died in a hot car

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – An Indiana woman has been arrested in connection with the theft of more than $18,000 from the family of a 3-year-old toddler who died after being left in a hot car on the University of Southern Indiana's campus.

The family of 3-year-old Oliver Dill paid Caroline Rich, 37, of Evansville more than $19,000, which they believed would go toward the child's burial plot, headstone and services, according to a Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office probable cause affidavit.

Rich is a family service counselor at Dignity Memorial/SCI Shared Resources, the owner of Alexander Memorial Park and Funeral Home.

Deputies were dispatched to Dignity Memorial on Saturday, according to the affidavit, after an internal investigation found that Rich paid $1,000 toward those costs from her personal credit card while pocketing the rest.

The Dill family reportedly sent her payments over PayPal and by check, believing she would put the money toward burial expenses.

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Rich was a friend of a Dill family member who told detectives they didn't think anything was suspicious about the payment arrangement, a press release from the Sheriff's Office said.

The Dill family contacted the cemetery after family members received several invoices showing they still owed a substantial amount of money, according to the release. The family reportedly believed the amounts had been paid in full, with some of that money coming from a GoFundMe account set up for the family.

Rich was interviewed at the Sheriff's Operations Center Wednesday morning. She first told detectives she took the money intending to help the families, according to the release, but declined to answer more questions.

She was arrested on three counts of fraud and three counts of theft, all felonies

Rich was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on Wednesday morning, according to online jail records. She wasn't offered bond.

According to the affidavit, Alexander Memorial will reimburse the families and incur losses on the outstanding balances.

Oliver Dill died in July after he was left in a hot car for several hours at the University of Southern Indiana. Investigators with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office, called to the scene at the university when the child was found, believe the child's death was an accident.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Hot car death: Woman accused of stealing $18,000 meant for boy’s burial