Man’s mummified body found Overland Park; Couple facing prison time for stealing his benefits

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - The U.S. Department of Justice announced the sentencing of two Overland Park residents Tuesday after they stole the social security benefits of a deceased man for several years.

According to a press release from the Department, Lynn and Kirk Ritter, both 62 years old, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and theft of government funds.

The charges stem from a call that Kirk Ritter placed to the Overland Park Police Department on Oct. 23, 2022.

The couple was reportedly living with Lynn Ritter’s father in a single-family home in Overland Park at the time, and she was acting as his caretaker. When Kirk Ritter called OPPD that day, he reported that his father-in-law had died and his body was upstairs.

Responding officers found the body to be in a mummified state, with investigators later determining the man had died “on or about July 1, 2016.”

In the years following his death, the Ritters continued to collect his monthly Social Security and retirement pension payments through his bank s. In total, $147,429 in Social Security benefits and $68,637 in pension payments were deposited into the , which the Ritters then moved to their own s with fraudulent checks.

Lynn Ritter was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and Kirk Ritter was sentenced to seven months. They each paid back the stolen funds during their prosecution, the press release stated.

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