2 charged in theft of funeral home van that had body inside

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) - Two people have been charged with stealing a funeral home van that had a body inside from a gas station in the St. Louis area.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 38-year-old Brian Schaake was charged Saturday with a felony charge of stealing a motor vehicle. Thirty-one-year-old Christina Kalb was charged with a misdemeanor charge of tampering with a motor vehicle.

Kalb was released from custody, officials said. Schaake was being held Saturday on $40,000 cash bond.

In a probable cause statement, St. Louis County Police detective Scott Russell said Schaake likely wouldn't show up in court because his last address was out of state and he was believed to be homeless. Officials listed the same Springfield, Illinois, address for both him and Kalb.

The funeral home van was stolen Thursday from a QuikTrip gas station in the Spanish Lake area of unincorporated St. Louis County after it was left unattended with the engine running.

The body was recovered after the van was spotted about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) away the next day at a Walmart in Festus. Schaake and Kalb were arrested inside the store.

According to court records, Schaake admitted to stealing the van with Kalb.