Kentucky man indicted after wife’s decaying body found inside home
By Shaquille Lord
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RADCLIFF, Kentucky (WLKY) — A Radcliff man was indicted after the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office said he left his wife’s body in their home for months after she died.
Hardin County Sheriff John Ward says in his decades-long law enforcement career, he has never experienced a case like this.
“The body was very deteriorated. She had been there a few months, and we don’t know exactly how much; that’s under determination,” said Sheriff John Ward.
It was back in June when Hardin County sheriff’s deputies did a welfare check on Veronica Emrich, who lived with her husband, John Emrich, in Radcliff.
Ward said a family member grew concerned when she hadn’t heard from her in months. But police say John wasn’t cooperative unless that family member came by herself.
“She went to the door, and he told her that she was deceased and had been for a while, and he would let her come in and see her,” Ward said.
Her body was on the couch. The 59-year-old husband is now indicted, facing a charge of abuse of a corpse.
“Mr. Emrich was apparently pouring some type of cleaner on the body to preserve the body and keep the odors down,” Ward told WLKY.
During her autopsy, Ward said her death appears to be from natural causes, possibly back in February.
But as to why the husband didn’t report her dead, one possibility, Ward said, was to continue to cash her Social Security checks.
“It’s probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard,” said neighbor Nina Bohannan.
“I’ve never seen them before; I’ve never seen a car at that place before, I’ve never seen anybody outside,” she said.
Neighbors like Bohannan say they’re at a loss for words.
“Your wife dies, and you just leave her there, and you think about what chemicals you can use to dissipate the smell or something; that’s so unnerving,” she said.
Emrich’s bond is set at $5,000 cash. He’s due back in court Tuesday, Sept. 8.
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