Background: News footage of the Bebouts' home in Canton Township, Pa. (WTAE). Insets (left to right): James and Debbie Bebout (Greene Washington Regional Police Department).
A Pennsylvania couple was charged almost a year after police discovered the decomposing body of their relative in their home.
James Bebout, 69, and Debbie Bebout, 64, were charged with theft, conspiracy, and abuse of a corpse after police said they lived with the dead body of James Bebout's brother, 64-year-old Michael Bebout, for six months without reporting his death. The gruesome discovery was first reported in January, when James Bebout told police that he found his brother "stiff as a board" when he brought him breakfast.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by local NBC affiliate WPXI, when police saw the body of Michael Bebout, they allegedly found nothing but his skeletal remains lying in a bed.
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Greene Washington Regional Police Chief Will DeForte described the Bebouts' home to WPXI as a "house of horror," saying, "In my 35 years of law enforcement, this was probably one of the most atrocious and horrific conditions we've ever found a decedent." At the time the body was discovered, DeForte told WPXI, "There was wall-to-wall dog feces. The situation looked like a hoarder had lived there, very difficult to traverse through the residence, and the odor was extraordinarily unpleasant."
Police said they believed Michael Bebout died at least six months before his body was found. Before that, he was living with his brother and sister-in-law. DeForte said that it was likely that Michael Bebout died of natural causes during the summer of 2024. Eleven months later, police said the Bebouts were cashing in Michael Bebout's Social Security checks while he decomposed in their home.
DeForte told WPXI the Bebouts had deposited around $20,000 into their bank accounts, all funds that were intended for Michael Bebout. Lt. Nathan Ferree told local ABC affiliate WTAE that Debbie Bebout "actually pretended to take care of him while the brother didn't know it for a while."
Arrest warrants were issued for the Bebouts, who are believed to be in Pennsylvania's Washington County. They both face charges of theft, conspiracy, and abuse of a corpse. Police do not suspect foul play in connection with Michael Bebout's death.
