Texas Woman Arrested for Stealing Mortuary Van with Dead Body Inside

Inset left: Valerie Traglor-Ellis appears in a booking photo (Fort Worth Police Department); Main image: John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Tex.

Valerie Traglor-Ellis, 36, from Azle, a rural Fort Worth suburb, was arrested this week on charges of automobile theft and abuse of a corpse. The Fort Worth Police Department stated that Traglor-Ellis allegedly stole a mortuary van containing a deceased individual from outside John Peter Smith Hospital.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when officers received a report of a stolen vehicle from the hospital's parking lot. The van's driver had left momentarily to retrieve another body from the hospital, leaving the van and the deceased unattended. Traglor-Ellis reportedly seized the opportunity and drove off with the van and the body.

Fort Worth police spokesperson stated, "While the driver was inside the hospital, the suspect, an adult female, entered the van without permission of the driver and fled the parking lot."

The van and the deceased were found a short distance away on Park Place Avenue. Surveillance footage captured Traglor-Ellis leaving the van and fleeing the scene. She was apprehended shortly afterward and taken into custody without incident.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the theft. The vehicle and the deceased person were returned to the mortuary service after being recovered intact.