A Nebraska funeral worker has been charged with attempting to steal a life-size sex doll from the home of a recently deceased man in a body bag, according to court documents.
As previously reported, Omaha police arrested 42-year-old Ryan Smith in October on charges of burglary, criminal trespassing and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the incident.
However, the story is getting renewed attention now after a recent court hearing where Smith attempted ― and failed ― to challenge a probable cause finding that he committed attempted burglary.
At the time of the incident, Smith was employed by Mid-America First Call, a company that assists authorities in transporting dead bodies. He was one of two male employees who visited the home of a recently deceased man on a Friday afternoon.
Smith Told Apartment Complex Staff He Needed to Collect the Doll as Evidence
According to court documents obtained by The Smoking Gun, Smith and his unidentified co-worker entered the residence with law enforcement personnel.
The two men noticed what court documents described as "a very real life size version of an adult female" near the decedent's bed, and the men made comments about it.
Although law enforcement personnel secured the scene, Smith allegedly returned later that day with a body bag and told apartment complex staff the sheriff's office wanted him to collect the sex doll for evidentiary purposes.
Smith Later Locked the Door, Found with Shirt 'Untucked, Pants in Disarray'
Smith was let into the apartment a second time, and a management official later discovered the unit's front door was "deadbolted and latched with the chain across the door."
The complex representative then confronted Smith, whose shirt, they told investigators, "was untucked and his pants were in disarray," and refused to let Smith take property from the dead man's home.
Smith left the complex but allegedly asked a janitor "when the manager of the apartment building left." The apartment manager later told police she feared the suspect "was going to return to the complex and break in and steal the doll."
Doll Found 'Sticking to the Touch' by Investigators
Officers who examined the sex doll after Smith's arrest said there seemed to be some tampering in the inner thigh area. Investigators said it was "sticking to the touch" and collected it for DNA processing, according to the New York Post.
A judicial order filed last week denying his motion challenging a probable cause finding that he committed attempted burglary contains details about Smith's actions.
A District Court judge found that Smith "unlawfully entered the apartment with a body bag, which is indicative, based on circumstantial evidence, that he had the intent to take the 'sex doll,' an item of nominal value. Therefore, the Court finds that Defendant committed a substantial step and a course of conduct intended to culminate in the commission of burglary."
Smith's next court date has not been scheduled.
