Kentucky man admits to living with wife’s body for days, hiding her death

A Kentucky man admitted to living at home with his wife’s body for several days without calling 911 and messaging her family to cover up the woman’s death.

Tyler Hern, 42, pleaded guilty on Oct. 1 to abuse of a corpse in Campbell County Circuit Court. As part of his plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending that Hern serve 15 months in prison.

Hern waited to contact authorities after the death of his wife, 37-year-old Laura Hern, and lived in the home with her body for roughly a week, according to investigators.

Campbell County Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Zimmerman said the woman’s body was “severely decomposed” by the time authorities visited the Highland Heights apartment on Feb. 3.

Kentucky husband said he ‘couldn’t handle the situation’ after wife’s death

Hern initially told police he hadn’t spoken with his wife in person for days when he found her unresponsive in the bedroom, investigators said in court filings.

He then changed his story to say he found his wife’s body days earlier and attempted CPR but didn’t call 911, telling police that he “needed to get sober” before calling for help.

When Laura Hern’s family tried to reach her by phone, investigators said, her husband responded with texts pretending to be her after she died.

“I’m fine. I’m just sick,” one of the messages read. “Tyler is taking care of me.”

Laura Hern’s mom even traveled to Kentucky from out of state to check on her daughter, court filings state, but Tyler Hern didn’t open the door.

“I couldn’t handle the situation,” Hern said in court.

Statement about Google search raises suspicions of foul play

Hern told police that his wife had been sick with pancreatitis, a condition caused by inflammation in the pancreas, which can be fatal in severe cases.

While Hern was not accused of causing his wife’s death, court records show that authorities had suspicions to the contrary.

Hern told police he Googled whether drinking antifreeze is fatal, although Hern claimed that he drank the antifreeze to harm himself.

Officials were previously awaiting toxicology results to determine whether the woman had been poisoned. The medical examiner who performed Laura Hern’s autopsy did not find external signs of foul play.

Court records indicate the report was sent to prosecutors; however, Tyler Hern did not face additional charges.

Attorney says husband of woman found dead wants to ‘move forward’

Zimmerman said that Hern’s case is “unusual,” adding that his office based its case on Hern demonstrating “gross neglect” by not calling authorities after his wife’s death. He added that investigators did not uncover evidence that Hern had otherwise disturbed the woman’s body.

Daniel Schubert, Hern’s attorney, disagreed with prosecutors that Hern’s failure to act would be sufficient to secure a conviction. However, he acknowledged that a jury might’ve found Hern guilty at trial.

“My client does not wish to press that defense,” Schubert said. “He wants to turn the page and move forward.”

Hern is expected to appear again before Judge Julie Reinhardt Ward for sentencing on Nov. 12.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kentucky man admits living with wife’s body, covering up her death