A family reportedly lived with a corpse in an upstairs bedroom for six months after the deceased man’s wife believed he would come back to life if they prayed.
Alas, he was not resurrected, and his body was discovered after the family was evicted for not paying the mortgage, resulting in the arrest of Kaling Wald.
Wald, 50, pleaded guilty to failing to notify police that her husband had died, an offense under the provincial Coroner’s Act, and was sentenced on Monday.
The Canadian woman will receive probation and counseling, her lawyer said, for not reporting the death of Peter Wald, 52, for so long after he died.
Authorities believe he passed away via natural causes following a foot infection linked to diabetes, defense lawyer Peter Boushy said. No foul play.
Still, the fact that Kalling left him in bed and sealed up the bedroom in their Hamilton, Ontario, home was something authorities don’t see every day.
She closed off the room to prevent the odor of decomposition from disturbing one very busy household, which included five of the couple’s six children.
“Just as Jesus raised Lazarus after the fourth day, so too did she believe God would resurrect her husband in due time,” said Boushy of the wife’s belief.
“There clearly was an over-exuberance of one’s faith,” he added.
That’s as nice a way of putting it as one could come up with.
The corpse was discovered, and the story first made national news, when the local sheriff arrived to evict the family after they defaulted on their mortgage.
The body had attracted rodents and was badly decomposed, yet the family had packed his things in preparation for eviction with no attempt to hide the body.
The Children’s Aid Society investigated the family after the discovery of the corpse, but found no other concerns and the case was closed, reports indicate.
Boushy said his client now understands what the law required.
“She certainly was remorseful, and definitely was teary-eyed,” he said. “Indeed, she noted that she was never actually able to cry over the passing of her husband.”
“This seemed to have been an emotional breakthrough after the court proceedings yesterday. I think counseling is certainly going to be beneficial for her.”
It can’t hurt, that’s for sure.
