Two teens are accused of stealing a necklace from a dead body and capturing it in a Snapchat video that circulated online, police say

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Two teens are accused of stealing a necklace from a dead body and capturing it in a Snapchat video that circulated online, police say
Two teens were arrested in Mark Makela/Getty Images
  • Two Texas teenagers recorded themselves taking jewelry from a dead body, police said.
  • Video of a 17-year-old teen taking a necklace from the body reportedly circulated on social media.
  • The teens were both charged with theft from a dead body or grave, according to police.
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Two San Antonio teenagers were arrested and charged with theft from a human corpse after a video circulated on social media that police say shows one of them removing jewelry from a deceased man's body, according to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

In a statement provided to Insider, police said investigators learned of videos circulating online that showed a 17-year-old girl removing jewelry from the body after deputies responded to a 911 call about the death. Investigators identified the two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, as those who had discovered the body. Insider is not naming the suspects because they are minors.

According to the arrest affidavit obtained by Insider, deputies were dispatched on the morning of July 26 to respond to calls reporting an injured or sick adult. They discovered a deceased male hanging from the railing of a drainage ditch, police said.

According to local news outlet KENS 5, the Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled the death a suicide.

Per the arrest affidavit, the older suspect told investigators that when she and the 16-year-old discovered the deceased man, the younger said that she liked the jewelry around his neck. The 17-year-old then took it, telling investigators that she had done so without touching the deceased's neck.

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The 16-year-old told investigators that she had recorded the incident on her friend's phone using Snapchat. KENS 5 reported that the video then circulated on NextDoor, a neighborhood-based social network.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said that in the video, the teens were laughing as they took the necklace and were "treating it as a joke," according to KENS 5.

Police said in their statement to Insider that the two teenage girls found the deceased man while on the way to a nearby gas station and called a friend, who called 911.

According to the arrest affidavit, the teenagers admitted that they had stolen the necklace and a charm from the body, keeping the charm but disposing of the necklace. Both were charged with theft from a human corpse or grave, a felony in the state of Texas, and placed into custody on July 27. The deceased was a 25-year-old male, police said.

The 17-year-old, whom KENS 5 reported was charged as an adult, was booked on July 28 and charged with theft from a dead body with a bond set at $2000, according to Bexar County Jail records. She was released on bond and has a court appearance set for August 24. Her attorney did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

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There were no publicly available court records for the 16-year-old suspect.

Read more stories from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

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