[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
This case is so disturbing. A man in Phoenix, Arizona, has been arrested after he allegedly had sex with a corpse in the morgue!
According to court documents obtained by Fox 10, 46-year-old Randall Bird was hit with multiple charges this week after police launched an investigation in October into his alleged crimes against the dead. Bird worked at Banner University Medical Center as a security guard and helped assist in the intake process at the hospital’s morgue. The court documents stated:
“The intake process consists on taking custody of the deceased bodies transported to the morgue, verifying the identity of the deceased, and then placing the body inside a large freezer, where they remain until claimed by family.”
Related: California Father Arrested After Helping Daughter Sell Her Nudes Online
Typically, the whole process should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes. The security guards are also not permitted to open the deceased body bags at any point during that time. However, Bird broke the rules. And what happened next is extremely sickening.
On October 22, the body of a 79-year-old woman who passed away from natural causes was taken to the morgue at around 4:36 a.m. After the person transporting the remains left, Bird was allegedly alone with the body. Two other guards showed up at the morgue about an hour later and noticed the main entrance was locked from the inside — something they considered very unusual.
When the pair unlocked the door and stepped inside, they saw the freezer door was cracked open. Looking inside, they allegedly caught a “very nervous” Bird with his belt off, zipper down, and uniform “messy.” Court documents stated:
“Witnesses observed [Bird] inside the freezer. He was sweating profusely and was acting very nervous. They stated that [Bird] had removed his duty belt, which they observed on top of a gurney where a bagged deceased body was placed. [Bird’s] zipper on his uniform pants was wide open, and the rest of his uniform looked all messy.’
Then the guards spotted something very alarming. The 79-year-old victim’s body bag was completely unzipped and she was facing down – both of which should “never” happen. Investigators stated in the docs the witnesses then allegedly saw her hospital gown rolled up, exposing her body. Oh no. Realizing he was in trouble, Bird attempted to explain he suffered a medical episode, fainted, and fell onto the victim’s body:
“[Bird] started making statements about having a medical episode and fainting, and said he grabbed the victim’s body as he fell. He stated the body bag tore open, and the zipper broke.”
What the f**k? However, the two guards said that “neither the bag nor the zipper were broken.” They ended up reporting the incident with Bird to their supervisor. An internal investigation was launched and then the police were called. By October 24, law enforcement began their investigation into the alleged crimes.
Even when investigators spoke with Bird about what happened, he stuck with the same story. The suspect allegedly reiterated he had a medical episode in the morgue’s freezer – but this time noted he couldn’t remember what exactly happened afterward. But DNA found on external genital swabs taken from the victim ended up matching DNA from Bird, per ABC 15. He also was accused of having “sexual contact” with the victim.
He was arrested on Tuesday and booked on five counts of crimes against a dead person. Police documents state Bird is on supervised release until a preliminary hearing sometime this month. Banner Health has since released a statement, expressing how they were “saddened and appalled by the alleged actions of an individual at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix that resulted in his arrest on November 28, 2023.” They then noted that Bird was fired from his job in light of his alleged crimes. PHEW! The statement continued:
“Recently, Banner team members identified and reported concerning behavior of an employee in the hospital morgue. Banner initiated an internal investigation, filed a report with law enforcement and terminated the employee. Banner Health has and remains committed to high standards that require each of our team members to treat everyone, at every stage of life, with compassion, dignity, and respect. We are grateful for the work of the Phoenix Police Department in the investigation and handling of this matter, and we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement. Out of respect for the family, we will not further comment at this time.”
It’s is horrific what happened to this poor woman. Learn more about the case (below):
Reactions ? Let us know in the comments.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out
[Image via Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, ABC15 Arizona/YouTube]
