Women accused of Carlow style post office scam bid

Two allegedly took body of dead man to bank to withdraw cash

Placed in such a manner that he’d be visible to bank staff ROBERT STELL ASHTABULA POLICE CHIEF

TWO women have been accused of taking the body of a deceased OAP to a bank to withdraw money from his account – in a US case similar to the Carlow post office incident.

Karen Casbohm, 63, and Loreen Bea Feralo, 55, were charged last Tuesday in Ashtabula, Ohio, with gross abuse of a corpse and theft from a person in a protected class, according to Ashtabula Municipal Court records.

Police allege that, with the help of a third unnamed person, the two women placed 80-year-old Douglas Layman in the front seat of his car and drove to a bank where they withdrew “an undisclosed amount of money” from his account.

Mr Layman’s body “was placed in the vehicle in such a manner that he would be visible to bank staff in order to make the withdrawal”, Ashtabula Police Chief Robert Stell said.

Mr Stell said the bank “had allowed this previously as long as they were accompanied by him”.

Police said they were called and told that two women had later dropped off a body at the Ashtabula County Medical Centre emergency room without identifying the person or themselves.

A few hours later, one of them contacted the hospital with information on the deceased, who was then identified as Mr Layman.

Officers went to Mr Layman’s residence and made contact with Casbohm and Feralo, who told them they had found Mr Layman deceased earlier at the home where all three resided.

Lt Mike Palinkas told how one of the women had been in a live-in relationship with Mr Layman for several years while the other had been staying there for a few months.

The women said it was normal for them to take money from the account, but Lt Palinkas said he did not have a full explanation for why they went to the bank that day.

Lt Palinkas said: “Allegedly, they wanted to pay some bills but outside of that, there wasn’t a specific motivation provided.”

Casbohm was arraigned and ordered held on a $5,000 (€4,568) bond, while Feralo is scheduled for arraignment next week. Police said they are continue to investigate and other charges are possible. The coroner’s office said an examination to determine the cause of Mr Layman’s death could take up to eight months.

The event is similar to the incident in Carlow town two years ago which sparked worldwide headlines.

Declan Haughney, 41, and Gareth Coakley, 38, were jailed after they attempted to deceive a post office by claiming the pension of Haughney’s dead uncle, Peadar Doyle.

CCTV showed both men dragging Mr Doyle’s body into the post office and skipping the queue to the counter. Mr Doyle was then seen lying on the floor.

The two men abandoned Mr Doyle at the post office and blamed post office staff for his death rather than seeking help.