WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — Two people are wanted by police in Washington County after a decomposed body was found in the home where they were living.
Investigators say the couple was living with the body for months. We first told you about this case back in January, when police made the disturbing discovery.
RELATED COVERAGE >>> Washington County family was living with decomposing body for months, police say
Charges have been filed against James and Debbie Bebout after investigators say the couple lived with the decomposing body of Michael Bebout, 64, for roughly six months so they could continue cashing his Social Security checks.
Police Chief Will DeForte of Greene Washington Regional Police said the Bebouts deposited more than $20,000 from Michael Bebout’s government benefits into their accounts while his body lay in his bed — a case the police chief called a “house of horror.”
Officers were called to the Canton Township home in Washington County last January after James Bebout reported he thought his brother was dead. According to the criminal complaint, James told officers he found Michael “stiff as a board” when he went to give him breakfast. When officers checked the bedroom, they found only skeletal remains — investigators say the body had been decomposing in the bed for approximately six months.
James and Debbie Bebout are now charged with theft, conspiracy and abuse of a corpse.
Deforte tells Channel 11 the probe took nearly a year while toxicology tests were completed to rule out homicide and while detectives verified financial records.
“In my 35 years of law enforcement, this was probably one of the most atrocious and horrific conditions we’ve ever found a decedent,” DeForte said. He added investigators believe Michael Bebout died of natural causes and that family members “just let him decompose in the house while they were benefitting from his government checks.”
James and Debbie Bebout are wanted and believed to be in the Washington County area.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW