Posted on: September 4, 2024, 08:05h.
Last updated on: September 4, 2024, 08:05h.
A woman is in custody for stealing a coffin with a body in it from a Las Vegas funeral home. Apparently not wanting the body inside of it, she dumped it in the landscaping in front, but then left the coffin next to the body and fled the scene of the crime.
Las Vegas resident Patricia Sierra, 47, faces charges of burglary, grand larceny, and disturbing human remains in connection with the bizarre incident on Aug. 27.
Sierra told Las Vegas police she has no memory of what happened, “was not trying to be malicious and was apologetic,” according to her arrest report. She said she drank six beers beforehand and often blacks out when she drinks.
Surveillance video from Affordable Cremation & Burial shows a woman, whom Sierra admitted was her, breaking a window and unlocking the funeral home’s front door. It then shows her walking into the viewing room and wheeling a coffin out the front door.
At 3:30 a.m., someone called 911 to report a body lying face down in front of the facility at 2127 W. Charleston Blvd. Police responded and were able to identify the deceased via paperwork found next to the casket.
According to the police report, the deceased arrived at the facility on Aug. 20 and had a viewing one day before being stolen and dumped outside.
Sierra was arrested two days later, when officers responded to a call from someone recognizing her while she shopped at a convenience store.
A judge set bail at $11,000 and a preliminary hearing date of Sept. 18. Sierra remains in custody as of Wednesday.
