Ashtabula, Ohio – Two women in Ohio have been arrested after allegedly propping up the body of a deceased man in their car and driving to his bank’s drive-thru ATM to withdraw money from his account. Karen Casbohm, 63, and Loreen Bea Feralo, 55, are now facing multiple felonies for their alleged attempt to steal money from the deceased.
The investigation began when officers from the Ashtabula, Ohio Police Department responded to a call from the Ashtabula County Medical Center (ACMC) on March 4. The hospital staff reported that two unidentified women had “dropped off” the body of an elderly deceased man without providing any information about him or themselves.
After a few hours, one of the women called the hospital and provided some personal information about the deceased man, leading authorities to identify him as 80-year-old Douglas Layman of Ashtabula. Police were then dispatched to Layman’s home, where they interviewed Casbohm and Feralo.
The women, who lived in Layman’s home but were not related to him, reportedly found Layman dead earlier that day. With the assistance of an unidentified third person, they allegedly placed Layman’s body in the front seat of his car and drove to the bank, where they withdrew an undisclosed amount of money from his account.
According to police, Layman’s body was positioned in a way that bank staff would be able to see him, designed to ensure the withdrawal could take place. Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell stated that the bank had allowed the women to conduct transactions on Layman’s behalf in the past as long as he was present, but this time they took things to a new level.
Casbohm appeared in court for her arraignment, with her bond set at $5,000. Feralo is scheduled to appear for her arraignment on March 14. If convicted on both charges, they could face up to two years in prison.