"Weekday At Bernie's" Premieres In Ohio

MARCH 7--Two Ohio women propped up a man’s corpse in their vehicle and withdrew money from the dead man’s bank account before dropping the 80-year-old’s body off at a hospital emergency room, police allege.

Prosecutors this week charged Loreen Bea Feralo, 55, and Karen Casbohm, 63, with theft and gross abuse of a corpse, both felonies, in connection with their alleged activities following the death of Douglas Layman.

According to police, the two women were not related to Layman, but lived with him at his home in Ashtabula, a city about 50 miles from Cleveland.

Casbohm was reportedly Layman’s girlfriend for the past several years.

Cops say that Feralo and Casbohm--with the help of a third individual--removed Layman’s corpse from the residence on Monday and placed the body in the front passenger seat of his car and then headed to a nearby U.S. Bank drive-thru window.

The bank, police say, had previously allowed the women to withdraw money from Layman’s account as long as he was accompanying them. On March 4, a teller apparently was unaware that Layman was dead when the women pulled up and successfully took out $900.

Investigators charge that the women placed Layman "in the vehicle in such a manner that he would be visible to bank staff in order to make the withdrawal."

Feralo and Casbohm then drove to the Ashtabula County Medical Center, where they dropped off Layman’s body and departed "without providing any information about the man or themselves." Police subsequently identified the duo and questioned them about the bizarre incident.

The women said that Layman died inside his home. His cause of death is under investigation, officials said. Feralo (left) and Casbohm are pictured above.

According to court records, Feralo’s rap sheet includes convictions for reckless assault; possession of drug paraphernalia; criminal trespass; driving under the influence; theft; and attempted possession of drugs. She was arrested in 2022 for possession of fentanyl, but a disposition in that case is not available.

Casbohm has previously been convicted of theft; soliciting; criminal trespass; receiving stolen property; possession of drug paraphernalia; and attempted drug abuse. (3 pages)