Hospital lab worker charged with sex with corpse

A former lab technician at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey, is under arrest and accused of having sex with a corpse, authorities said.

Anthony Merino, who had been working at the hospital for two weeks at the time of his arrest, is charged with desecrating human remains.

A security guard at the hospital saw Merino, 24, engaged in sexual activity with a 92-year-old deceased woman in the morgue on Sunday, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. The security guard immediately called Teaneck police, who came and arrested Merino.



"This heinous crime is a travesty," hospital officials said in a statement. "We are horrified and saddened for the family of the patient and are completely empathic and sympathetic to them."

Hospital officials said they immediately fired Merinio, who lives in Upper Manhattan. They also said that they did conduct a criminal background investigation and reference check on Merino before hiring him.

Merino is being held and a judge ordered a psychological evaluation.