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Casey Kasem's Family Thinks His Wife Stole His Body
Jean Kasem and Casey Kasem in 2004 at an event at the Beverly Hills Hotel. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Radio host Casey Kasem's adult children and his wife, Jean Kasem, had a long battle over who would be his caretaker in his final days. One would have thought it would end with his death over a month ago; however, it appears his body, which has yet to be buried, is now missing. Family sources told TMZ that they believe Jean Kasem took the body from a Seattle funeral home where it was in cold storage and may have left the country with it.
Kasem's daughter, Kerri Kasem, sought an order on Wednesday to have an autopsy conducted on her father's body. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Ronald Gulpepper ordered that Kasem's body not be cremated or removed from the funeral home while the court decided on the autopsy request, CBS reports.
Kerri had previously filed a police report with the Santa Monica Police Department alleging that Jean had committed elder abuse by removing him from his Santa Monica nursing home on May 7 and taking Kasem on a long car ride, which caused bed sores that later got infected and may contributed to his death. She also said she was worried to find out that Jean had ordered her own autopsy request because she didn't know why it was needed, and would prefer to have her own conducted.
Kerri Kasem won a conservatorship over her father, who was so sick he could not even speak, following the May incident. This came after years of fighting, including a year-long stint in which Jean did not allow Kasem's children to see him. When Kerri Kasem went to pick up her father in Silverdale, Wash. and have him taken to a hospital on June 1, Jean Kasem put up a fight that included throwing raw hamburger meat and quoting the Bible at Kerri.
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