LAS VEGAS, NV – In a bizarre and unsettling incident, a woman has been accused of breaking into a funeral home and stealing a casket containing a body, which was later found on a busy street. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reported that the body was discovered on Charleston Boulevard early in the morning.
Authorities identified the suspect as 47-year-old Patricia Sierra. According to police, Sierra allegedly smashed the front door of Affordable Cremation and Burial Service, removed a casket with a body inside, and dumped the remains outside the funeral home. The body belonged to a woman in her 60s who had passed away two weeks prior and had a viewing at the funeral home just hours before the incident.
Investigators noted that flower petals leading out of the funeral home provided a crucial clue. Surveillance footage from inside the facility further helped police identify Sierra. Two days after the break-in, a tip from a local convenience store led officers to Sierra, who was then apprehended.
Sierra reportedly claimed she had no recollection of the incident, attributing her actions to blacking out after consuming six beers. Despite her apologies and insistence that she meant no harm, police took her into custody. A judge has set her bail at $11,000.
A representative from the funeral home declined to comment, citing the ongoing police investigation. The state funeral board has also been contacted to determine if they will be involved in the case.
This unusual case has left the community in shock, raising questions about security measures at funeral homes and the circumstances that led to such a distressing event.