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A nursing assistant was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly taking photos of deceased residents at a nursing home and sharing them with co-workers and friends.
Stephanie Thomas (28), who worked at Berks Heim Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in Leesport, Pennsylvania, was charged with three counts of abuse of a corpse, Buzzfeed News reports.
Police were alerted after the facility’s director received an anonymous letter about Thomas’ alleged actions, NBC news reports.
She was immediately suspended.
According to police, Thomas admitted to sending the photos, saying she did it only because her boyfriend “liked that kind of thing”.
But witnesses interviewed by police said the nursing assistant had an affinity for collecting dead things and believed she has “an obsession with death”.
Investigators said they found three photos of dead residents on her phone, including one of a woman whose head was bleeding.
They photos were taken in April, May and July, on the days the residents died, New York Post reports.
Family members of the deceased have expressed their disgust at Thomas’ actions, saying they did not give her permission to do so.
She’s scheduled to appear in court again on 3 December.
Sources: Buzzfeed News, NBC news, New York Post
