Stolen funeral house van and entire body identified in Festus

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A funeral home van that was stolen Thursday early morning in north St. Louis County has been located.

St. Louis County law enforcement shared an update on Twitter Friday morning. At all-around 10 a.m., two suspects were arrested in Festus and the van was recovered.

The van was carrying a woman’s human body at the time it was stolen and law enforcement claimed the overall body also was recovered.

Corporal John Beffa with Festus Law enforcement claims, “We listened to that they went by means of fuel stations. Almost everywhere from Illinois to north St. Louis County and all more than the map in the local region.”

Friday morning in Jefferson County, a driver saw the van with the description and adopted it.

The van pulled in the Walmart parking large amount and the driver alerted law enforcement.

Festus and Crystal Town officers took about, considering that that Walmart is break up down the center amongst Festus and Crystal Metropolis.  

“The retail store manager advised us they were final found in the sporting items aisle. One officer approached on close of the aisle and I approached the other close of it and built speak to with the subjects. They have been shopping with an vacant cart, they mentioned they have been browsing,” Cpl. Beffa clarifies.

For Beffa, he is glad the entire body was not dumped and was found.

“I have under no circumstances dealt with anything at all like this before. Loads of stolen autos, but in no way a stolen hearse with a deceased in it. If it experienced not been for the anxious citizen having to pay notice to the information content articles and staying prepared to call law enforcement to notify us, we may possibly have not located,” he claims. 

He hopes this can bring some closure to the relatives. 

“THANK YOU for re-tweets, amplifying this to your audiences was a fantastic aid,” the St. Louis County section tweeted. “Together, we had been in a position to get her back to her family.”

Thursday morning, police officers responded to the QuikTrip on Lusher Street for a report of a stolen auto. Law enforcement claimed the vehicle was left jogging and unattended in the parking ton when an individual got inside of and drove away.

Thursday evening, law enforcement launched shots of people of interest in the case, alongside with a photo of the van.