A Woman Stole A Ring From A Grandmother's Open Casket
A Texas family is seeking the public's help in identifying a woman who stole a ring from their grandmother's open casket.
Surveillance video captured the unknown woman prying the wedding ring off the hand of Lois Hicks as she lay in repose at Sunset Memorial Garden funeral home on Friday.
The family reported the theft to police in Odessa, Texas, and also shared surveillance footage on Facebook.
Cpl. Steve LeSueur of the Odessa Police Department told BuzzFeed News on Monday that officers are following a number of leads, but so far no arrest has been made.
"We appreciate all the support from the public we've received on this case," he said.
The crime, which police are investigating as a state jail felony, is an unusual one, LeSueur added. He cannot remember police ever encountering a theft from a body at a funeral home.
The fact that it was Hicks' wedding ring makes the theft particularly difficult, her family told the Odessa American.
Hicks was 88 at the time of her death, and her husband of 55 years, Gayle Hicks, died three years ago.
"It makes me sick to my stomach,” her daughter, Vel McKee, told the American. “Horrible. I hope they catch her.”