Police say a Las Vegas, Nevada woman was arrested after she was seen on surveillance video breaking into a funeral home, stealing a casket containing a body, and leaving both in front of the funeral home.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested 47-year-old Patricia Sierra around 5:30 p.m. on August 29th and charged her with theft between $1,200 and $5,000, trespassing of a business, and removal, transportation and disturbance of a human body.
Officers responded to Las Vegas Cremation and Burial Services on Charleston Street on Aug. 27 after receiving a report of a body lying face-down in front of the store and a coffin nearby.
When officers arrived on scene, the body was lying on level rocks. Officers also found an open door with broken glass on one side of the building and searched the premises to find no one inside.
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Patricia Sierra is accused of robbing a funeral home in Las Vegas and stealing a casket containing a body. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
The investigation also uncovered several other clues, including flower petals stretching outside the door and a small child's bicycle left on the side of the building.
The store owner provided police with security camera footage, which showed a woman between 30 and 50 years old with a shaved head, wearing a black tank top, black leggings and black sneakers.
Police said the video shows the woman smashing a front window to enter the business, then reaching inside and unlocking the front door. She then went into the morgue, went to the casket and removed it through the front door.
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Patricia Sierra is accused of robbing a funeral home in Las Vegas and stealing a casket containing a body. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
Police said the woman had been in and out of the store multiple times before leaving.
Two days later, police received a call reporting that a person matching the description of the woman who had stolen the coffin from the store had been seen at a nearby convenience store.
When police arrived, the woman identified herself as Sierra, and police provided investigators with a photo of Sierra, who was identified as the person seen in the surveillance footage, according to the arrest report.
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Patricia Sierra is accused of robbing a funeral home in Las Vegas and stealing a casket containing a body. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
She was transported to police headquarters, where investigators read Sierra her Miranda rights. After being read her rights, Sierra allegedly said she had a substance abuse problem and “blacked out.”
She also said she did not remember breaking into the funeral home, but when asked if she had robbed businesses before, she allegedly replied “yes.”
Detectives asked Sierra what his preferred method of breaking into buildings was, and he allegedly said he used a rock to break a window.
During questioning, Sierra apologised and claimed she had no malicious intent, at which point police asked her why she was apologising if she was innocent.
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Police said that after being shown the security footage, Sierra admitted he was the man in the footage but couldn't remember why he broke into the store and that he had passed out after drinking six beers that night.
Sierra's bail has been set at $11,000 on the grand theft charge, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Sept. 18, according to court records.
