Woman who stole ring from corpse in Odessa arrested

With the Odessa police and the entire social media world hot on her heels, Kalynn Homfeld couldn’t hide for long.

She was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with “theft from a human corpse.”

The 41-year-old could face six months to two years in jail if she’s convicted of stealing a ring off the finger of Lois Hicks, an 88-year-old great grandmother who was lying in a casket in the Sunset Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home in Odessa on Friday.

The macabre crime was captured on surveillance video and shared on Facebook by one of Hicks’ grieving relatives. The video went viral and millions on social media were aghast at what they saw.

Homfeld talked her way into an Odessa funeral home under false pretenses -- she told the director she had to use the bathroom -- and proceeded to steal a ring off the finger of a great-grandmother.

But she didn’t count on a couple of things: First, the Sunset Funeral Home has surveillance cameras and her despicable act was caught on video. Once the video was shared on social media some people in Odessa recognized her and tipped police to her whereabouts.

And second, the ring she pulled off Lois Hicks’ lifeless hand Friday was plastic. It cost a whopping $10, family members told the Odessa police.

Homfeld has arrests dating back to 1999, according to the Odessa American. Homfeld had been arrested and charged with a drug offense, driving while intoxicated, evading arrest and other offenses. She was also arrested in August 2007 on a misdemeanor charge of prostitution in Odessa, a crime for which she was convicted, records with the Texas Department of Public Safety revealed.

Vel McKee, the youngest of Hicks’ 10 children, told the Odessa American on Tuesday that she and the rest of the family were relieved when they learned of Homfeld’s arrest.

“I’m just so relieved, and we can rest and now my mom can rest in peace,” McKee said. “But, you know, I think everyone in the whole world knows my mom left and went to heaven.”

Hicks, 88, was the mother of 10 children “and (had) many grandchildren and great grandchildren,” according to her obituary.

Odessa police Cpl. Steve LeSueur told USA Today “even though the ring was a $10 plastic ring. Theft of a corpse, regardless of whether it’s $5 or $5,000 is still an automatic felony.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Woman who stole ring from corpse in Odessa arrested."