His coworkers walked in on the security guard “sweating profusely” with his zipper “wide open.”
A 46-year-old security guard at Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona is being charged for crimes against the dead.
Randall Bird is accused of having sex with the dead body of a 79-year-old woman who died of natural causes. The story was first reported about a month ago, but Bird was officially arrested on November 28th following an investigation.
According to details outlined in court documents obtained by Fox 10, part of Bird’s job duties involved assisting in the intake process at the hospital’s morgue. As the investigation unfolded, it became evident that this procedure should typically take only 10-15 minutes. While performing the task, security guards were explicitly instructed NOT to open the body bags.
On October 22, Bird was allegedly left alone with a body. When two other security guards went to the morgue about an hour later, the door was unlocked from the inside. They immediately suspected that something wasn’t right.
After unlocking the main door, the two guards spotted the freezer door slightly open.
“Witnesses observed [Bird] inside the freezer. He was sweating profusely and was acting very nervous,” read the court docs. “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,” said the report.
“[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. Witnesses stated neither the bag nor the zipper were broken.”
According to investigators, the deceased victim was faced down. The body bag was completely unzipped, something that should have “never” happened. Part of the victim’s body was also exposed and her hospital gown was “rolled up.”
The witnesses immediately notified a supervisor which lead to an internal investigation and law enforcement getting involved. Their investigation began on October 24.
As Bird spoke with investigators, he doubled-down on his medical episode excuse, but claimed that he “couldn’t remember” everything that happened. Additional documentation from ABC 15 states that DNA from the security guard matched the DNA found on external genital swabs taken from the deceased woman. The outlet also states that Bird was accused on having “sexual contact” with the victim.
On Tuesday, Bird was arrested in Phoenix and subsequently charged with five counts of offenses against a deceased individual, a class 4 felony.
Banner Health issued a statement on Wednesday 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.”
“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,” the statement continued, before thanking the Phoenix Police Department for their work and adding that, “Out of respect for the family, we will not further comment at this time.”