PAINTSVILLE, Ky. (TCN) — A 56-year-old man is facing multiple charges after a police investigation allegedly found he kept his mother’s body in her bed for four months and wrote himself thousands of dollars in checks from her bank account.
According to the Paintsville Police Department, officers received a request for a welfare check on Oct. 19. When they arrived, they spoke to a family member who said their cousin, John Carroll, had told them his mother had died a week earlier and was still in her bed.
The Paintsville Herald named the deceased as Patty Carroll. According to an arrest warrant obtained by the outlet, John Carroll had lived with her for about 10 years.
Officers then obtained search warrants, medical records, subpoenas, and financial information, and began conducting interviews. Through the investigation, police determined the victim had died about four months earlier, not a week as had been stated.
The Paintsville Herald reports Patty Carroll appeared mummified and John Carroll allegedly did not report her death. In addition, according to the arrest warrant, John Carroll allegedly wrote himself 17 checks from her account over the four months since her death, totaling more than $26,250.
Carroll would also allegedly write himself checks from her account, approximately $3,500 each, after her Social Security automatically deposited into her bank account.
According to police, Carroll was arrested at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on Oct. 26.
WTVQ reports he is facing charges of abuse of a corpse, failure to report a death, theft by unlawful taking, and possession of forged instrument and lodged in jail.
The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be forthcoming, per police.
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