Ohio, USA

Two women from USA’s Ohio state have been charged after driving a man's dead body to a bank and withdrawing $900 from his account, as per reports in local media.

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Loreen Bea Feralo, 55, and Karen Casbohm, 63, allegedly drove the dead body of 80-year-old Douglas Layman to a drive-through bank window and made the withdrawal.

After withdrawing the amount, the duo disposed off the body at an emergency room at Ashtabula County Medical Centre without informing anyone about it.

After a few hours, one of the two women called the hospital and informed them about Layman, after which authorities were able to identify him.

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It was not clear what caused Layman’s death and an autopsy to find out the cause would take at least eight months.

When officers reached Layman’s house later, they interrogated the two women, who claimed that he had died at his home in Ashtabula earlier in the day.

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As per media reports, the two women, who were not related to the dead man but lived together, had moved the corpse to the hospital with the help of a third unknown person.

The body was positioned in the front seat of the car to give a false impression that Layman was accompanying the women. “The bank had allowed this previously, as long as they were accompanied by him,” said a police officer.

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The two women were charged with theft and gross abuse of a corpse. Ohio police said they were conducting an investigation into the matter.

If convicted, the two women could face up to a year in prison but authorities warned that additional charges against them could not be ruled out.

Police revealed it was not the first time the women were accused of committing a crime. The New York Post reported that Feralo and Casbohlm had previously been convicted of drug possession, trespassing and theft.

According to AP news agency, the women were forced to commit the theft ‘due to pressing bills that they needed to pay.’

(With inputs from agencies)