WVa. Woman Steals Hearse, With Body Inside

September 21, 2011 4:10 PM EDT

A West Virginia woman is accused of stealing a hearse from a funeral home on Tuesday carrying the dead body of an 85-year-old woman.

Police in Beckley say the hearse's driver left the vehicle's door open and the engine running outside a local funeral home on Tuesday when the suspect jumped inside.

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According to a court affidavit, Kenneth Bly pulled into the parking lot of the funeral home to unload the corpse from the 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse.

As Bly entered the funeral home, he turned and spotted 23-year-old Angela Jeanette DeHart jumping into the vehicle. DeHart then sped off with hearse and body.

The hearse was later discovered near DeHart's home in Beaver after a witness called the cops to report that a "very emotional" DeHart "had just pulled up to his residence .... and that the defendant had been operating a black hearse," according to court documents.

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DeHart reportedly tampered with the corpse. Police say it had been jostled around, possibly from reckless driving.

DeHart, who celebrated her birthday on Monday, told police that she was traveling with her girlfriend when they got in a heated fight. She then exited her girlfriend's vehicle and stole the hearse.

The hearse and its contents were recovered by police and returned to the funeral home within four hours.

DeHart was booked into jail and charged with grand larceny and displacement of a dead body.

This is the second story in a week about someone going on a joyride with a corpse in the car.

Last week, two Denver men were accused of talking the body of their dead friend out for a night on the town to diners, bars, burrito joints, and a strip club. The men were charged with identity theft, criminal impersonation and abuse of a corpse.

This article is copyrighted by International Business Times, the business news leader