Prison time possible after corpse used to withdraw cash

Peggy Gallek
·1 min read
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ASHTABULA, Ohio (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has learned two Ashtabula women are facing felony charges after police said they propped up a dead man so they could withdraw hundreds of dollars from his account and then dropped off his body at a local hospital.

Police Chief Robert Stell told the I-Team that the victim, Douglas Layman, 80, was dropped off at the Ashtabula County Medical Center emergency room on Monday.

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“They left without providing any information to the hospital. They just left him,” Stell said.

Karen Casbohm and Loreen Feralo are both facing charges of theft and gross abuse of a corpse, according to Ashtabula County Prosecuting Attorney Cecilia Cooper.

“This is very unusual,” Cooper told the I-Team.

Police said the women found the man dead inside the home on Monday, but instead of calling police or an ambulance, they had other plans.

Cooper said the two are alleged to have taken Layman’s body out of the home, propping him up in the front seat of a car, and then driving through a bank to withdraw around $900.

Police said the bank allowed the women to withdraw money from Layman’s account previously, as long as Layman was in the vehicle.

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Police said the women were not related to the victim, but lived at his house.

Layman’s cause of death is not yet known.

The chief said the case remains under investigation and additional charges could be filed.

If convicted, they could face up to a year in prison on each charge, according to prosecutors.

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