Kansas couple charged with fraudulent retirement fund collection while concealing mummified relative

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

KANSAS, UNITED STATES: A Kansas couple has been charged with fraudulently collecting retirement benefits on behalf of a dead relative while concealing his mummified remains inside their home for six years.

Authorities revealed that Mike Carroll's pacemaker data indicated his death in 2016 at the age of 81. However, it wasn't until 2022 that Overland Park police uncovered his body, after his his son-in-law, Kirk Ritter, reported his death in the Kansas City suburb, as per CBS news.

What did prosecutors say?

According to prosecutors, Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter consistently deposited and spent funds from Mike Carroll's bank account, even as his body lay mummified on a bed in his residence.

Notably, Lynn Ritter, identified as Carroll's daughter by the prosecutors, is presently facing health challenges of her own. 

Conversely, family members revealed that the Ritters would consistently provide excuses about why Carroll couldn't answer phone calls or visit, creating a false belief that Carroll was still alive.

However, every listed number was either disconnected or had been changed.

Upon discovering that Lynn Ritter had entered a care facility, Kirk spoke to the police, as asserted by Janet Carroll, niece of Mike Carroll.

Janet remarked, "After she went to a care facility, her husband reported it. He said she wouldn’t let him. Well, how do you not report something like that?”  

Stefani Blubangh, another niece of Mike Carroll residing in Phoenix, Arizona, stated, "My uncle had died July 1, 2016, and he had been dead in his bed since that time, It just makes you think if she didn’t get sick — would this still be going on? Because I feel like he’s covering his a** because she was serious enough where she might have passed away."

What are the charges placed on the Kansas couple?

According to KSN TV, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe explained that laws regarding dead bodies are intentionally broad, accommodating various religious or personal beliefs. 

Howe asserted, “I think it was an intentional act to keep it very, very loosely constructed, And again, if people do other things associated with that person’s death that are criminal-related, that doesn’t stop us from doing that type of investigation.” 

Howe continued, "That’s usually a red flag that something else is going on because people usually take normal steps after a loved one has died,”

A spokesperson for Overland Park police stated that their investigation indicates Carroll died naturally, with no evidence of desecration. 

Currently, the Ritters do not face any criminal charges, either at the state or federal level. However, an ongoing federal investigation is examining potential Social Security fraud.

The couple is set to appear in federal court on February 02, to answer to multiple charges.