Family Cremated Woman In Backyard BBQ, Continued to Collect Retirement Checks

CORNING, Calif. - Authorities say relatives of a deceased Tehama County woman cremated her remains on a makeshift barbecue and continued collecting her retirement checks.

Ramona Allmond's daughter and grandson were arrested Sunday on suspicion of embezzlement, elder abuse and other charges. Tehama sheriff's Capt. Paul Hosler says the 84-year-old Allmond likely had died of natural causes. He says her daughter, 50-year-old Kathleen Allmond, and her grandson, 30-year-old Tony Ray, left the body on her bedroom floor for a week before cremating the remains in their backyard fire pit.

Detectives say the daughter also fashioned a two-inch piece of her mother's skull into a necklace.

They say they kept collecting her monthly retirement checks amounting to more than $25,000 since she died in December.